Magic waive Malaki Branham, JD Davison and Kevin Knox in final camp cuts

The Orlando Magic have waived Malaki Branham, JD Davison and Kevin Knox, the team announced. Reporter Jason Beede first reported the moves.

All three were on Exhibit 10 contracts and are now eligible for a bonus worth up to $91,000 if they each spend at least 60 days in the G League with the Osceola Magic. All three appeared in each of Orlando’s four preseason games, though none played much – Branham saw the most action at 11.0 minutes per game, followed by Knox (9.9) and Davison (7.8).

Branham and Davison have spent most of the past four years in the NBA after being drafted in 2022 – the former Ohio State guard went 20th overall, while Davison, out of Alabama, went 53rd. Knox is a seven-year veteran and the ninth overall pick in 2018, though he has largely been out of the league the past two years. He played exclusively in the G League in 2025-26, averaging 21.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists on .464/.414/.836 shooting in 39 appearances for the Windy City Bulls.

While nothing technically prevents Orlando from opening the season with a full 15-man standard roster, that does not appear to be in the cards. The Magic sit just $2.5 million from the second tax apron and would have moved to within about $47,000 of that threshold by retaining any one of the three.