Magic sign second-rounder Noah Penda

The Magic have officially signed No. 32 overall pick pick Noah Penda to his first NBA contract, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

Orlando didn’t reveal the details of Penda’s new deal, but Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel reports (via Twitter) that he was signed using the second-round pick exception, with the first two years guaranteed, a non-guaranteed third year, and a fourth-year team option.

A 6’8″ French forward, Penda played for Le Mans in France last season. In 37 total games with the club, he averaged 10.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks while shooting 44.7% from the field and 32.2% on three-pointers.

Considered a solid defender with a good frame, Penda was widely viewed as a potential first-round pick — The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie had him ranked No. 21 on his big board heading into the draft. Orlando is clearly high on him, having given up four second-round picks (No. 46 and No. 57 this year, along with two future selections) to move up to get him last Thursday.

Based on their reported deals with free agents Tyus Jones and Moritz Wagner, the Magic now have a projected 14 players on standard contracts and are expected to be operating too close to their first-apron hard cap to add a 15th man before the regular season begins. However, that situation remains fluid until the official numbers on contracts come in.