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Wendell Carter Rumors
All NBA Players
Position: C
Born: 04/16/99
Height: 6-9 / 2.06
Weight:259 lbs. / 117.5 kg.
Salary: $6,920,027
Born: 04/16/99
Height: 6-9 / 2.06
Weight:259 lbs. / 117.5 kg.
Salary: $6,920,027
The NBA is a business. That truism gets thrown around a lot. But then that trade call comes and you’re living in a hotel while trying to find more permanent accommodations and meeting new teammates and coaches and trying to remember driving directions and restaurant tips — all while trying to process emotions and play high-level basketball. “It’s a lot,” Wendell Carter Jr. said Friday morning, standing on the Magic practice court just hours before he will face the Chicago Bulls for the second time since they traded him.
He’s just acknowledging that when the easily spouted sound bite becomes a reality, the business of basketball is no joke. “It was about 30 minutes before the trade deadline. I got the call from AK and Marc (Eversley),” Carter Jr. said, using Artūras Karnišovas’ nickname as he recounted the March 2021 process. “I was surprised at first. I didn’t really know what to say. I just packed my bags and I was out. Then you start having mixed emotions. You start thinking, ‘Oh, man, they didn’t want me.’ Or, ‘They gave up on me.’ But I realized you have to think about it like this: This was a whole different management team. They didn’t draft me. And another team wanted me. I’m just blessed to be here. The opportunity I’ve had here is exciting.”
Coincidentally, Carter Jr. credited Nikola Vučević, the centerpiece of the Bulls-Magic trade, for helping him in this regard. “Once I got here, with the big they had in Vooch, they were used to having a big space the floor,” Carter Jr. said. “They understood I knew how to shoot. They knew I didn’t shoot as much. But they told me to be confident. “This past summer, I put in a whole lot of work. I’m taking my time more. When you put that work in, the confidence builds with it. So now you’re not even thinking about it. You’re just hitting those shots when they’re there.”
Michael Scotto: Wendell Carter Jr.’s four-year, $50 million extension with the Orlando Magic has a guaranteed salary that decreases each year of the deal, league sources told @HoopsHype. 22-23 $14.15 million 23-24 $13.05 million 24-25 $11.95 million 25-26 $10.85 million
Orlando Magic PR: PRESS RELEASE: @Orlando Magic sign center @Wendell Carter Jr. to a contract extension #MagicTogether pic.twitter.com/oOh1RCcrMh
