Colin Castleton was sitting inside of his apartment Friday afternoon patiently waiting.
Waiting because the 6-foot-11 center knew with the NBA preseason wrapped up, the Magic would be making roster cuts.
Orlando had multiple Exhibit 10 players still signed and only one two-way contract available.
That’s when Castleton’s phone rang.
“They reached out to me, told me, ‘We’re going to sign you [Saturday], come to practice and I was like, ‘Shoot, I’ll be there first thing,’ so I was super excited,” Castleton said at the AdventHealth Training Center. “I’m just thankful for everything.”
Castleton joins center Orlando Robinson and forward Jamal Cain as the Magic’s third two-way player.
Two-way contracts allow teams to carry three extra players in addition to the 15 on their regular-season roster. Those players will go between the NBA and G League, but they’re limited to 50 NBA games.
“I’m just thankful for the organization for giving me the chance,” Castleton said. “I’m just really blessed for the opportunity and excited to go into the season.”
The former Florida Gators center has played in 42 NBA games across two years, including 26 last season with Memphis, Toronto and Philadelphia. He spent time with Orlando’s G League affiliate, Osceola, last year, too.
“He’s been a big-time pro,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “Just professional every single day when he walked in the building … He fits the level of physicality that we play with being able to play and guard multiple positions.”
Despite Castleton securing a two-way deal, the work doesn’t stop.
In fact, it only gets harder.
That’s the life of a two-way player, having to go back and forth between the NBA and G League without knowing when their next opportunity on the main stage will come.
“It’s doing what’s required and actually, doing what’s more than required of you, honestly,” Robinson recently told the Sentinel.
Robinson and Cain signed with the franchise over the summer. Similar to Castleton, both have multiple years of NBA experience but have yet to land with a team long-term.
“I know Orlando was a team that wanted to sign me when I first started my NBA journey,” Cain told the Sentinel last week. “So, just to be here full-circle, it means a lot.”
Castleton, Robinson and Cain will split their time between Orlando and Osceola, the latter of whom is coached by Dylan Murphy. Last season, Osceola made a deep playoff run but fell short of a title in the G League Finals.
Robinson isn’t tired of the “Orlando in Orlando” jokes.
“I love it,” he said. “It’s really nice to see your name on the front of a jersey and the back.”
And Castleton, the Orlando Sentinel’s 7A Player of the Year in 2018 out of Daytona Beach Father Lopez, isn’t taking for granted the chance to play closer to home.
“It’s awesome, honestly,” Castleton said. “It’s really just a blessing. My family is super excited. There’s a lot of Gators fans in Central Florida, so I’m really excited to be pretty much home. You can’t really beat that.”
Just because the three are only two-way players doesn’t mean they don’t share the same goals as the rest of the Magic.
“It’s a great opportunity coming over here being able to be a part of this program that’s trying to win,” Robinson said. “Now it’s just time to take advantage of that.”
Added Cain: “The ultimate goal is to win a championship so I feel like that’s what we’re instilling every day we step on the court. We’ve got great leaders. We’re just trying to follow their footsteps.”
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com