Magic: Injured Jonathan Isaac won't return to play this season

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Jonathan Isaac’s return to the Orlando Magic won’t happen this season.

The Magic announced the decision Tuesday, meaning the earliest Isaac will play is October. He last played in August 2020, when he tore the ACL in his left knee during a game at the NBA’s restart bubble in Walt Disney World.

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If the 6-foot-10 forward is ready to begin when next season starts in mid-October, it would end a rehab and recovery period that would have lasted more than 26 months. Magic president Jeff Weltman said having Isaac ready for "opening night next season" is the new goal.

"First and foremost, the care of our players will always be our top priority," Weltman said. "We have to remember that Jonathan has missed essentially two years. While it continues to be a day-to-day process for him as he continues to strengthen and condition all aspects of his body, we feel we have reached a point where it would be prudent to say that he will not play this season."

When this season ends, Isaac will have missed 196 of Orlando’s last 198 games, including 165 consecutively. That includes the team’s five-game playoff run in 2020.

FILE - Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac watches from the bench between center Mo Bamba (5) and guard Cole Anthony (50) during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Sunday, March 13, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. The Orlando Magic announced Tuesday, March 15, 2022, that Jonathan Isaac, who has missed the last two years with a knee injury, will not return this season. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

Isaac's major left knee problems began when he was hurt on Jan.