C.J. Watson can no longer call Orlando his home, as the Orlando Magic waived the 33-year-old point guard after just two years with the team. According to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, waiving Watson left “the team on the hook for only $1 million of his $5 million salary for the upcoming season.”
Magic waive C.J. Watson before final year of contract
Watson’s tenure with the Magic did not live up to expectations.
Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Robbins also noted that the Magic had until 11:59 p.m. Monday to release Watson. Orlando would have owed Watson $5 million if it would have waived him after that time. The team now has $8.9 million cap space remaining after waiving Watson.
The Magic signed Watson in 2015, and his stint with the team has been a huge disappointment. Due to a calf injury, Watson only played 33 games in his debut in Orlando. He played in 62 games last season but barely made an impact. To make matters worse, he only shot 30.1 percent from beyond the arc during his tenure with the Magic.
Waiving Watson was a move the Magic had to make, especially since they just signed Shelvin Mack to a two-year deal on July 9. Now that Watson is gone, Orlando’s point guards are Elfrid Payton, D.J. Augustin, and Mack.
The Magic are continuing with their youth movement, so getting rid of Watson made sense. In 10 years in the NBA, Watson averaged 7.2 points, 2.5 assists, and 1.9 rebounds. He should be able to latch onto another team soon because he can provide veteran leadership to a young squad that needs one.
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