Fourth-year forward Jamal Cain was converted from a two-way deal to a standard contract on Friday. His new deal covers two seasons — the Magic hold a team option on Cain for 2026/27, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Speaking to the media ahead of Saturday’s game against the Lakers, Cain discussed his promotion, which occurred on his 27th birthday (video link via the Magic).
“I’ve been waiting four years for that,” said Cain, who spent all his previous time in the league on two-way contracts (story via Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel). “All the hard work and grind is paying off. But I wasn’t more excited than my mom and my family. They surprised me for my birthday, and just seeing the excitement on their faces made it all worth my while. I’m definitely blessed, for sure.”
Cain’s head coach and teammates were thrilled to learn the news, according to Beede.
“He’s a young man that has worked his tail off for years in this league to try to make it to this level,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. “He comes in with a sense of joy, a work ethic, a professionalism every single day — what we ask our guys to do night in and night out.”
We have more from Orlando:
- After seven consecutive victories, the Magic have now dropped three straight games ahead of Saturday’s matchup with the Lakers, who are riding an eight-game winning streak. As Beede writes for The Orlando Sentinel, Mosley received his first career ejection in Thursday’s lopsided loss at Charlotte after a pair of technical fouls in the second quarter. “Mose always goes to bat for us,” Desmond Bane said. “I don’t think that’s ever a question, on whether or not he’s got our back. So, definitely like the fire and it’s on us to match that and display that on the court.”
- Mosley explained what he wants to see from the Magic on Saturday, Beede adds. “In front of our home fans, just to be able to scrap, to be able to continue to fight, play with that sense of intensity, urgency (and) joy for one another, together,” Mosely said. “All of those pieces are key, but it’s got to be our defense that sets the tone and then our ability to keep moving and sharing the basketball, and that urgency that we need to continue to play with nightly is very important down this stretch.”
- Starting center Wendell Carter Jr. has been upgraded from questionable to available for tonight’s game, the Magic announced (via Twitter). Carter was sidelined on Thursday due to a bruised left rib, which the team referred to as mild.