Magic Exercise Jamal Cain’s Team Option

The Magic exercised their team option on forward Jamal Cain ahead of Monday’s decision deadline, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).

Cain, who began the 2025/26 season on a two-way contract with Orlando, earned a promotion to the team’s standard roster in March on a two-year, minimum-salary contract with a second-year option. That option, worth about $2.58MM, will remain non-guaranteed until January now that it’s been picked up, so the Magic could still decide to waive Cain later in the offseason without taking a cap hit.

After appearing in 81 games for Miami and New Orleans in his first three NBA seasons, Cain played 40 times for the Magic in 2025/26, averaging 5.4 points and 2.0 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per game, with a solid .487/.384/.848 shooting line.

Orlando will be navigating the tax aprons this offseason, so depending on how tight the margins get, it could make sense for the front office to cut Cain and bring him back on a new one-year, minimum-salary contract, which would pay him a slightly larger salary and carry a slightly smaller cap hit. Any team would have the ability to claim him off waivers, however.