Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman, new coach Sean Sweeney and the entire Orlando roster met with the media Monday inside the AdventHealth Training Center.
The Magic expressed confidence about their chances in the Eastern Conference, shared how they spent their offseason following a third consecutive first-round loss in the NBA playoffs and more.
Here are key takeaways as Orlando opened its first training camp under Sweeney on Tuesday:
No rush on filling roster
The Magic enter the season with 14 out of 15 standard contract roster spots filled, but it appears they’ll keep the last spot available for some time.
Orlando sits only $2.5 million under the league’s second apron, a salary threshold set at $221,686,000 by the collective bargaining agreement. The team has the financial room to sign a player to a minimum contract, depending on their years of experience, but waiting to do so would allow the salary to be pro-rated, meaning it would incur a smaller cap hit.
“We have very little flexibility right now,” Weltman said about the team’s financial reality. “So, we value that 15th roster spot. … We do have the ability to sign a player, but I think right now, we’re in no rush to just put a player on the roster for the sake of it. We want to see how the team looks.”
“Obviously, (the 15th roster spot) is kind of an insurance policy for us, protecting against any injury,” Weltman added. “So, no immediate plans for it.”
Isaac not ready yet
Magic forward Jonathan Isaac ended last season off the court because of a left knee sprain, and he’s still limited entering training camp.
“I won’t be fully, completely ready,” Isaac said about the start of camp. “I won’t be in all of the drills, but I’ll be around.”
Isaac, who re-signed on a one-year deal this summer after he was waived by the team, missed the final 17 contests last season and the entire postseason because of a left knee sprain suffered in mid-March. He previously missed 2½ years because of various knee injuries, including a torn left ACL.
Magic forward Jonathan Isaac answers questions from the Orlando Sentinel during the team’s media day at the AdventHealth Training Center on Monday. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
“The rehab has been a whole process throughout the entire summer of working at it, strengthening all my muscles around the knee, my glutes, all that stuff, and just doing that to get to getting back to playing,” Isaac said.
He added: “It’s pretty frustrating, but I’m working every day. I’m doing everything that they’re telling me to do and we’re expecting to be fine.”
Vucevic ready to accept new role
Of the 985 regular season games Nikola Vucevic has appeared in across the past 14 years, the Magic center has started 942, or more than 95% of them.
As he returns to the Magic at the age of 35, however, Vucevic understands his role will be different in his second stint with the franchise.
“I’ve started (games) since my second year in the NBA, all this time, so it’s definitely an adjustment,” he said. “But I think it’s kind of a natural course for most players, eventually, to transition a little bit. And I think there’s a lot of ways that I can still help even in a smaller role, obviously with my experience.”
“I think the way I play is something that this team needs and I can help with that,” he added. “But also off the court, talking to guys, helping (them) through the ups and downs of the year, helping them with the approach to the game, things like that.”
Nelson update
Magic rookie Izaiyah Nelson, who suffered a fracture in his left ankle at Las Vegas Summer League, is “still probably a month or so” away from participating in live action, Weltman said.
The timing aligns with the team’s initial expectation for when Nelson would return to basketball activities — three or four months from when the injury occurred in mid-July. That would be sometime in the October or November.
Nelson later said he recently got back on the court and is moving around “a little bit, but not doing too much.”
“He suffered a tough injury in summer league,” Weltman said. “He’s a world-class worker. He’s all about (the) team, kind of a remarkable kid, honestly. … He’s still kind of working on his basic stuff before he gets back to live action.”
The second-round draft pick, who signed a two-way contract with Orlando after finishing his college career at USF, had a positive outlook on the injury rehab.
“I really wasn’t fazed by it,” Nelson said. “I was really actually more happy because I take everything as something that God had planned for me.”
Penda shed weight
Magic forward Noah Penda said he had two goals for himself in the offseason: Get his body ready for his second year in the NBA and work on his shot.
Rocking a new blonder hairstyle, the French forward appeared slimmer than he did last season, and he confirmed as much.
Penda said he weighed 260 pounds last season, but was down to 236 when he returned to the team facility this summer. He explained the reasoning behind cutting the weight.
“It was just based off what I’ve experienced this (past) year in terms of the rhythm (of the game),” he said. “I’ve always wanted to lose some pounds. I’ve never felt like I really had to, but what was really the turning point for me this (past) season was seeing a couple guys being out of the league after being (drafted in the) first round … or stuff like that.”
“I realized that the NBA career can be really short,” Penda added. “You don’t have time to waste on stuff that you can fix earlier in your career. So, I was like, ‘Let’s just get this done after the first year, and then just stay on that path for the rest of my career.’”
The Magic play their first preseason game Oct. 7 at Memphis and open the regular season Oct. 21 at home against the Atlanta Hawks.
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
Pictures: Orlando Magic Media Day 2026