The Orlando Magic completed their last bit of business this offseason, signing a contract extension with guard Jalen Suggs. Shams Charania of ESPN.com reports it is worth a reported five years, $150.5 million.
The deal locks in place one of the core players for the Magic.
Suggs is often described as the “head of the snake” of the Magic’s top-ranked defense. He was named to the second team All-Defense last year as he made a name for himself as a dogged and intense defender. It would have been hard to imagine the Magic being successful last year without the scoring and efficiency leap he took.
It made sense then that Suggs would get a new deal and that they would ensure he stayed with the team.
Shortly after reports of his extension broke, I interviewed Suggs to get his reaction to the deal. This interview has been edited for clarity. Listen to the podcast for the full interview.
Philip Rossman-Reich: Jalen, congratulations! How did it feel to finally put pen to paper?
Jalen Suggs: To be honest, it’s still hard to come to words. Me and Jeff [Weltman] spoke earlier today, and, to be honest, I told him the money doesn’t matter to me. It’d be great to be compensated, but the money doesn’t matter to me. I’m rich already in spirit. God has blessed me in so many ways.
Philip: We know how close this team is and what you guys have accomplished in the last 2-3 years. What does it mean to say, at least as far as everything’s being planned, the next five years that these are the guys you’ll be riding with?
Suggs: I don’t want to go to war with anybody else or for any other city. This is where I’ve called home. The Kia Center is the building where we’ve created memories to last a lifetime. From being in there and having losing seasons and just playing hard and trying to create and establish a culture, to establishing that, then playing playoff games in there and winning playoff games in there. Too many special memories have been created together.
For [the Magic front office] to invest in me like this, it means a lot. If you thought I was playing hard then. My family has shown that they believe in me, they trusted me. They’ve got everything they can get out of me.
Philip: What gets you most excited about a new year beginning?
Suggs: More opportunities to go to war with my brothers. Especially coming off of last year, feeling a playoff series, feeling every day matter down the stretch instead of we have a selected end date. We were playing for something [last year] and it was in our control. That’s what gets me excited is whatever’s going on, I know I get to come in every day and hoop with my brothers.
There’s no better way to do it and head right down the road to Miami and go get a headbanger night one. Just super geeked up, very excited and looking forward to another NBA season.
Thanks to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 for setting up the interview with Suggs. Check out the game when it releases on Oct. 25.
