ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Magic waived forward/center Jonathan Isaac on Saturday, ending the former first-round pick’s injury-shortened time with the team, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced.
The Magic took Isaac with the No. 6 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. After playing in 75 games in 2018-19 in a promising second season, the 6-foot-10 forward tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in August 2020 during the NBA’s restart and missed the next two seasons while recovering from knee surgery.
Isaac, who was the longest-tenured player on Orlando’s roster, played in 52 games in 2025-26, averaging 2.6 points and 2.5 rebounds in 10 minutes per game. He didn’t appear in Orlando’s first-round playoff series against the Detroit Pistons because of a left knee strain.
Isaac appeared in 328 career games for the Magic, averaging 6.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. He is sixth on Orlando’s career blocked shots list with 391.
He was scheduled to make $14.5 million this season, but $6.5 million was not guaranteed if he was waived by June 28. He still is owed $8 million this season, but the salary that was not guaranteed will put Orlando $9.5 million over the luxury tax, a drop of $6.5 million.
The Magic chose not to stretch and waive the remaining money on Isaac’s deal, so if he is not picked up by another team, he could re-sign with Orlando.