Orlando Magic Waive Former Wizards And Lakers Player
Putting the finishing touches on their 20-man training camp roster, the Orlando Magic decided to waive Joel Ayayi on Saturday, who the team recently signed on September 12.
In addition to waiving Ayayi, the Magic also signed Zavier Simpson and Aleem Ford to training camp deals.
Ayayi, 22, went undrafted in 2021 out of Gonzaga where he earned First-Team All-Conference honors, as well as being named the Most Outstanding Player in the 2020 West Coast Conference Tournament.
Signing a two-way deal with the Los Angeles Lakers in August 2021, the Lakers waived him before the start of the 2021-22 regular season, allowing him to sign with the Washington Wizards shortly after. The young guard was then waived by Washington this past March.
While he got into seven games this past season with the Wizards, Ayayi barely played, as he was really only inserted into the game in “mop-up” duty when the game had already been decided.
In the G League with the Capital City Go-Go, the Wizards G League affiliates, Ayayi started in 29 games and averaged 10.7 points, 6.6 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game.
Having a ton of youthful talents and former first-round picks on their roster, the Orlando Magic could wind up being a pretty competitive team during the 2022-23 NBA season.
The Orlando Magic have bought into what second-year head coach Jamahl Mosley has been selling in the offseason and with the addition of No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero, the Magic are suddenly a deep and talented team that could wind up being a force to be reckoned with.
While the 2022-23 season officially begins on October 18, the Magic will not play their first game until October 19, as they will go on the road to face the Detroit Pistons.
