Orlando's payroll is $218.1M, past the $200.4M tax line and the $209.0M first apron, with the $221.7M second apron close above. The core is locked in for next season, and the front office has few picks or expiring deals to change that.
The aprons leave Orlando almost no room to add salary.
At $218.1M, the Magic are well beyond the $200.4M tax line and the $209.0M first apron. The $221.7M second apron is the next wall, and it is close. With the cap at $165.0M, no path to new money runs through cap space. Any move this season has to be built from salaries already on the roster, and the Magic start 1-2 with injuries that will not wait for a solution.
Four players hold the money, and all four are signed for next year.
Franz Wagner is at $41.8M, Paolo Banchero at $41.5M, Desmond Bane at $39.4M and Jalen Suggs at $32.4M. In 2027-28 those figures become $44.8M, $44.8M, $42.2M and $29.6M, with Wendell Carter Jr. at $19.6M. The pay rises for three of them while Suggs' price drops. Banchero is out until an estimated November 22 and Suggs is out until an estimated November 10 with a right knee injury. Orlando is paying full price for a core that is not on the floor.
Little money comes off the books, and what does is not big enough to matter.
Jonathan Isaac at $10.4M, Anthony Black at $10.1M and Goga Bitadze at $7.6M have no 2027-28 figure on the sheet. Jamal Cain's $2.6M is a team option. Black is the interesting case: he scored 18 with five threes in Sunday's win at New York. His next contract is a decision that comes with the tax bill attached. Jason Beede reported on October 21 that the Magic picked up options on Tristan da Silva and Jase Richardson, who are on $6.1M and $3.3M in 2027-28. That is cheap depth, and it counts for something.
The picks are mostly spoken for, so trades will cost real players.
Orlando owns its 2027 first and swaps seconds in 2027 and 2030. The 2028 first goes to Portland and the 2030 first goes to Memphis. The 2029 first is protected, and the 2028 second belongs to Charlotte. A team this close to the second apron has little to sweeten a deal with. Flexibility here means patience with a roster that has Black, da Silva and Richardson earning cheap minutes while the stars recover.
Are the Magic over the luxury tax?
Yes. Orlando's payroll is $218.1M against a tax line of $200.4M. It is also above the $209.0M first apron and under the $221.7M second apron.
Does Orlando have its own first-round picks?
Only the 2027 first is clearly its own. The 2028 first is owed to Portland, the 2030 first to Memphis, and the 2029 first is protected.
