Extension deadline day: Brandon Miller is the big name still open, and the Magic are set to let Anthony Black wait

Brandon Miller enters the final day of the rookie-scale extension window without a deal, while the Orlando Magic are not expected to extend Anthony Black before the 6 p.m. ET cutoff on Monday, October 19, Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported. Fifteen first-round picks from the 2023 draft are still unsigned, and whatever is not done by tonight waits until restricted free agency next July.

Miller is the headline case. Stein has described a Charlotte Hornets extension as likely for weeks, and he and Jake Fischer have reported that Charlotte was working toward an offer at or above the five-year, $208 million deal Amen Thompson signed with Houston. Fischer has said Miller’s side is aiming for a number north of $200 million, while a full five-year maximum would run to roughly $275 million. Nothing has been agreed as of Monday morning.

The case for paying him is offense. Miller, the No. 2 pick in 2023, averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists last season and shot 38.3% from three. Turnovers, durability and his work on defense are the questions rival teams raise about a near-max price.

Why Orlando is holding

Black broke out in his third season, lifting his scoring from 9.4 to 15.0 points per game. Stein reports there were no meaningful talks and that the Magic, who already carry one of the league’s three biggest payrolls, are weighing the cost of keeping Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs and Desmond Bane together. Orlando is not shopping Black. Without an extension he plays this season on his rookie deal and becomes a restricted free agent, which lets the Magic match any offer sheet next summer.

Where the 2023 class stands

Six players have already extended, all on five-year deals that begin in 2027-28:

Still eligible until tonight: Anthony Black (Magic), Noah Clowney (Nets), Bilal Coulibaly (Wizards), Gradey Dick (Clippers), Scoot Henderson (Trail Blazers), Taylor Hendricks and Kris Murray (Grizzlies), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Bucks), Dereck Lively II and Marcus Sasser (Mavericks), Brandon Miller (Hornets), Brice Sensabaugh (Jazz), Ben Sheppard and Jarace Walker (Pacers) and Julian Strawther (Nuggets).

History says the day can still be busy. Half of the 34 rookie-scale extensions signed over the previous three seasons were finished on deadline day.

What comes next

The window closes at 6 p.m. ET Monday, the eve of opening night. Charlotte opens at Brooklyn on Wednesday, October 21, at 7:30 p.m. ET (Game Center), and Orlando hosts Atlanta the same night (Game Center). Any deal that lands before the cutoff will be on the transactions page.