Forward Joe Ingles is joining the Orlando Magic after spending one season with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The free agent forward agreed on a two-year, $22-million contract with the Magic, his agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday.
In what was described as a bold move, when Milwaukee took a risk with its taxpayer midlevel exception last offseason by using it on Ingles, who at the time was in the middle of rehab from a torn ACL.
Excellent floor facilitator
The move paid off for the Bucks as Ingles was able to return and became an efficient contributor off the bench.
Last season, Ingles played 46 games with the Bucks, all coming off the bench, and averaged 6.9 points and 3.3 assists per game.
The Australian guard shot 41 percent from the three-point area and helped give the Bucks better floor spacing with his dribbling, shooting, and passing ability.
Ingles made his NBA debut at age 27 after the Utah Jazz acquired him from the Los Angeles Clippers, where he played preseason games.
Ingles tore his ACL during Utah’s 106-126 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 30th, 2022.
The Bucks took a gamble on injured Ingles
The 6-foot-9 shifty forward was part of a three-team trade that sent him to the Portland Trail Blazers on February 9th, 2022.
Due to an injured knee, Ingles never got to play with Portland until he was signed by the Bucks to a one-year, $6.5 million deal on July 6th, 2022.
After an almost 11-month recovery from torn ACL, Ingles debuted for the Bucks in a 128-119 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on December 19th, 2022.
Ingles played for 15 minutes in his debut game with the Bucks and finished with one rebounds, two assists, and a steal as he missed his four attempts, all from the three-point area.
More must-reads: