The Orlando Magic have waived Jonathan Isaac and the Cleveland Cavaliers should be calling

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The Cleveland Cavaliers' search for a big wing player, who can play inside and out, may be over thanks to a move by the Orlando Magic. The squad out of central Florida opted to waive former 6th overall pick, Jonathan Isaac, on Saturday. A move that will save the Magic $6.5 million for the upcoming season. While Isaac never became the All-Star two-way player the Magic saw him as being in 2017 when they drafted him, Isaac has proven to be a vaunted defender when healthy.

His defensive +/- was 19th in the NBA among all players for the 2025-2026 season and had a defensive rating of 110.8 on the season, according to StatMuse. He's a defensive stud when he's healthy and on the floor. Injuries have made him a lesser version of what he could've been, but despite his seemingly negative impact on offense, Isaac is exactly what the Cavs need on this roster.

The Cavs got bullied by every team they faced in the 2026 NBA Playoffs, and part of that was due to a lack of size. Isaac is a tall and lanky forward who can defend inside and out. Which is exactly the type of player the Cavs would need to get past some of the teams they're expected to meet next postseason.

His length and lateral quickness could be enough to help the Cavs get past some of the more pesky offenses that really gave the Cavs defense fits. Guys like Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, and Josh Hart looked unstoppable at times against the Cavaliers' defense, and Isaac could be the kind of role player off the bench the team could use to down those and other players.

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He's not a perfect player, by any means. He's often injured, having only played in 328 out of a possible 738 games. So his availability is a problem. That's not his biggest negative attribute either. For as stellar as he still is defensively, that's how bad he is offensively. While his career shooting percentage may make you think he's alright, Isaac is only a career 41.1% shooter from the floor, who primarily only scores in and around the paint.

Usually, players who focus on shooting near the rim have much higher career percentages. It isn't even the lack of success that paints Isaac in a negative light; it's his lack of confidence. In the last four seasons, he's averaged less than 5.0 shots per game in every season. A sign that he doesn't have much faith in his shot. If that wasn't bad enough, he's not even a good perimeter shooter. From three, he's only a 31.6% career shooter, and his free throws aren't any better. His foul-line accuracy is just at 73.2%.

Not that he takes either of those shots a lot, as he shoots just 2.2 three-point attempts per game for his career. His free-throw number is even worse, as his career free-throw shots are just at 1.5 for his career. He's just not someone who will produce a lot for you offensively. He's a true negative offensive player.

That said, the Cavs are in a rare situation where Isaac doesn't need to be good on offense. The Cavs need Isaac as an aggressive defender against penetrating ball-handlers, and he could help with that. Even if he's not quick enough to hang with the Jalen Brunsons of the world, he can at least take a guy like Josh Hart out of the conversation for a while. Which is exactly what the Cavs need heading into 2026.

It's possible that Isaac won't be offered much more than the veteran's minimum on whichever team he lands, and if that belief holds true, then the Cavs would be in the running for him. Despite being limited in their mobility due to their second apron designation, the Cavs can still sign players on veteran minimum deals without any restrictions.

Which is just another reason why Isaac makes sense.