Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs has agreed to a five-year $150.5 million rookie extension. The Magic drafted Suggs No. 5 in the 2021 NBA Draft. Suggs is coming off his best season as a pro, averaging 12.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 39.7 percent from three-point range. Suggs made his first all-defensive team in the 2023-24 season.
What Jalen Suggs’ Extension Means for the Magic
After years of trying to find an elite point guard, the Magic locked down their anchor in the backcourt for the future. Suggs only played 48 games as a rookie and 53 during his second season. Injuries were a problem for Suggs during his first two seasons, but he played 75 games last season.
Suggs looks like the player from Gonzaga and has started to live up to his potential as the No. 5 pick. Every part of Suggs’ game has improved. His shooting percentage from the field went from 41 percent to 47 percent in one year. During Orlando’s playoff run last season, Suggs took his play up another notch. He averaged 14.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game in seven playoff games.
At only 23 years old, Suggs still has room to grow and add to his game. Suggs joins Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero as cornerstones of the franchise. Wagner already signed his five-year extension. Banchero has two years left on his rookie contract, and then the Magic will likely lock him up for the future.
The five-year contract that Suggs signed starts at $28 million in 2025-26 and increases by $2 million each season after that. Suggs is a winning player, and if he can play at least 70 games a season, he will be a perennial all-defensive team player. At 6’5″, he is a taller and bigger player than the opposing point guards that he defends.
Suggs is an active defender who is always quick on his feet and jumps in passing lanes. Last year, he was eighth in the NBA in steals per game. Suggs finished eighth for the NBA Most Improved Player award and tied for 10th for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
The Magic have one of the best young cores in the NBA. Their top three players, Banchero, Wagner, and Suggs, are all 23 years old or younger. This team is set up for success in the present and the future.
Suggs can outplay his contract during the next five years. It is good that the Magic re-signed Suggs now because his price could have increased if they had waited. $30 million is a lot of money for someone averaging less than 15 points per game, but this is an upside play for the Magic.
The Magic have an over/under of 47.5 wins while being -900 to make the playoffs on DraftKings Sportsbook. Orlando is +2500 to win the Eastern and +6500 to win the NBA Finals. Suggs is +7000 to win Defensive Player of the Year and +700 to be named All-NBA first-team.
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