Orlando Magic forward/center Moritz Wagner (knee) will remain on the shelf on Wednesday against the Brooklyn Nets. The German big man is expected to make his season debut this week, but he won't be available for the second leg of a back-to-back. Wagner's next chance to return will come on Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers. Orlando also has a meeting with the New Orleans Pelicans scheduled for Sunday. Given Wagner's extended absence due to a knee injury, he's likely to be eased back into action with a strict minutes restriction upon his return, limiting his fantasy appeal.

Orlando Magic forward/center Moritz Wagner (knee) will remain on the shelf on Friday against the Atlanta Hawks. The German big man still isn't ready to return from an ACL injury he suffered last season. Wendell Carter Jr. and Goga Bitadze will share the center minutes until Wagner returns. Both players offered similar production in a 125-121 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday. However, Carter Jr. has more fantasy appeal, as he's locked into a starting role. With that said, he was mediocre last season against the Hawks, averaging 8.5 points and 7.3 rebounds in 26.3 minutes.

Orlando Magic center Moritz Wagner (knee) was in the midst of his best season last year before suffering an ACL tear in late December. He was in the early running for Sixth Man of the Year and was putting up career highs in points (12.9) and rebounds (4.9) per game. During media day on Monday, the Magic's president of basketball operations, Jeff Weltman, said that Wagner was "further away" from Jalen Suggs (knee) returning to the court. They're targeting opening night for Suggs, but Wagner is "on a different timeline," according to Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. This likely means more minutes for Wendell Carter Jr. and Goga Bitadze in the meantime, with the possibility of some small-ball lineups with Paolo Banchero.

According to Josh Robbins of The Athletic, free-agent center Moritz Wagner (knee) agreed to a one-year, $5 million contract with Orlando. The Magic declined his team option at the start of free agency, although there were reports that the club was willing to bring him back. Statistically speaking, the 28-year-old is coming off his best season in the National Basketball Association, averaging 12.9 points and 4.9 rebounds. He was in the running for the Sixth Man of the Year award. Unfortunately, Wagner suffered a season-ending ACL tear in December, limiting him to only 30 appearances. He's not expected to return until after the beginning of the 2025 campaign. Still, even when he gets back on the floor, he most likely won't be a consistent fantasy contributor, considering Orlando has Wendell Carter Jr., Goga Bitadze, and Jonathan Isaac on the roster. That's not to say Wagner won't have increased streaming value at some point during the year if one of those players were to go down with an injury.

Orlando Magic forward Moritz Wagner will have his team option declined, according to Shams Charania. This doesn't come as a surprise after Wagner missed most of last season due to a torn ACL. When healthy, Wagner averaged 12.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 18.8 minutes per game in 30 contests. He has spent each of the last five seasons with the Magic. Wagner has been a fairly decent option for the Magic, but recovering from an ACL injury isn't easy. It's worth noting that the Magic do retain the Bird Rights, so the two sides could still strike a deal. The Magic have also declined the team option on guard Caleb Houstan. He averaged 4.1 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 13.6 minutes per game. The Magic also have his Bird Rights, so we'll see if either player returns to Orlando.

Orlando Magic center Moritz Wagner underwent successful surgery on Wednesday, January 8 to repair the torn ACL in his left knee that he sustained December 21 against the Heat. The team announced that Wagner will miss the rest of the year. The 27-year-old is under contract with the Magic for the 2025-26 season and will likely continue to play alongside his younger brother, Franz Wagner. In his 30 games before getting hurt, Wagner averaged 18.8 minutes and scored a career-high 12.9 points per game to go with 4.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 0.8 steals per contest. Orlando will hope he can contribute to the team's frontcourt rotation next season after recovering from this surgery.

Orlando Magic forward Moritz Wagner (knee) was forced to exit early during Saturday's game against the Miami Heat. Wagner left with a left knee injury that is now being revealed as a season-ending ACL tear. The injuries continue to pile up for the Magic roster. The Magic will now be forced to lean on Wendell Carter Jr. and Goga Bitadze with the team low on depth at the center spot. Both players should have strong fantasy value considering they both should see heavy minutes going forward.

Orlando Magic forward Moritz Wagner (knee) has been ruled out for the rest of Saturday's game against the Miami Heat. Wagner was only able to play a few minutes before suffering a left knee injury. The Magic are getting blown out at halftime, so they've decided to take the cautious approach and hold out Wagner. This comes at a bad time with fellow big man Wendell Carter Jr. being ejected from this contest. Goga Bitadze is likely going to play heavy minutes on Saturday and could see more playing time coming his way if Wagner misses time.

German National Team forward/center Moritz Wagner scored a game-high 25 points during the FIBA victory over Japan. The veteran looked good, going 10-for-14 from the field and 2-for-5 from deep while adding nine rebounds, one steal, and one block. While his brother, Franz Wagner (ankle), underwent an MRI after getting injured in this one, the former will look to keep things moving in the right direction on Sunday versus Australia.

Orlando Magic center Moritz Wagner has been suspended two games for his involvement in Wednesday's altercation with the Detroit Pistons. The big man pushed Killian Hayes into the bench while the two were running for a loose ball. This led to Hayes punching Wagner in the back of the head. Both players have been suspended, along with a handful of other players as well. The Magic will be without Wendell Carter Jr. and Mo Bamba due to them getting suspended as well. It sounds like Bol Bol is going to be forced into action during their next game.

Orlando Magic forward Moritz Wagner (ribs) has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Indiana Pacers. This marks the seventh game in a row that Wagner has missed without a timetable in sight. That being said, Chuma Okeke should be rostered in basically all formats right now. He has been producing second round value over the last month. Okeke should continue to see a significant role in the rotation with Wagner's unlikely to return anytime soon. Fantasy managers should to check the waiver wire and see if Okeke is available.

Orlando Magic center Moritz Wagner (rib) has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Denver Nuggets. He has missed the last few games due to a left rib contusion. Chuma Okeke has been stepping up his play with Wagner sidelined. He finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds in 26 minutes during their last game. Fantasy managers should check the waiver wire and see if Okeke is still available. He sounds like a strong fantasy option while Wagner is out.

Orlando Magic center Moritz Wagner (rib) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Utah Jazz. This marks the second game in a row that Wagner will miss due to a left rib contusion. Chuma Okeke should continue seeing extra playing time while Wagner is sidelined. Currently, Okeke is providing 11th-round value in 9-cat formats. He is certainly someone worth looking at in fantasy leagues right now.

Orlando Magic center Moritz Wagner (rib) has been ruled out for Tuesday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers. He was originally listed as questionable, but will sit this one out due to a left rib contusion. Wagner normally doesn't have a huge role in the rotation. However, a majority of his playing time will go to Chuma Okeke. He has played well lately and deserves a look as a streaming option for Tuesday's slate.

Free-agent forward/center Moritz Wagner has agreed to a two-year deal to return to the Orlando Magic. Wagner will play alongside his brother, Franz Wagner, who was selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft. After bouncing between several clubs last season, including Washington and Boston, the 24-year-old averaged 11.0 points, 4.9 boards and shot 37.2 percent from deep throughout 11 games in Orlando. Although he shouldn't be considered an everyday fantasy option, he still has appeal in deeper leagues, regardless of format. His stock will rise even higher this season if he gets a run as a member of the starting lineup, which is possible over an 82-game grind.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — When the Orlando Magic’s hopes of moving up in the NBA draft never materialized, they instead used their picks to select former Gonzaga star Jalen Suggs fifth and German forward Franz Wagner eighth. Owners of two top-eight picks for the first time in franchise history, the Magic had hopes of packaging those selections and moving into the draft’s top four. However, when they failed to find a trade to their liking, the Magic stood pat and chose Suggs and Wagner. “It was a great night for the Magic,” Orlando President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman said. “We added two talented, high-character, team-oriented players. It’s not often you get to add, not one, but two of these guys on the same night.” Suggs, the USWBA National Freshman of the Year, famously banked in a winning, half-court shot in the NCAA Final Four semifinal game against UCLA. Suggs was excited to hear that fans at the Magic’s draft party erupted with joy when his name was called at No. 5. “It means... [More]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — When the Orlando Magic’s hopes of moving up in the NBA draft never materialized, they instead used their picks to select former Gonzaga star Jalen Suggs fifth and German forward Franz Wagner eighth. Owners of two top-eight picks for the first time in franchise history, the Magic had hopes of packaging those selections and moving into the draft’s top four. However, when they failed to find a trade to their liking, the Magic stood pat and chose Suggs and Wagner. Suggs, the USWBA National Freshman of the Year, famously banked in a winning, half-court shot in the NCAA Final Four semifinal game against UCLA. Wagner, who averaged 12.5 points in his one season at the University of Michigan, could join his brother, Moritz Wagner, in Orlando. Mo averaged 12.5 points in 11 games with the Magic this past season. The Magic missed out on a chance to select Orlando high school product Scottie Barnes when Toronto took the versatile forward at No. 4. Barnes was high school teammates with NBA top overall pick Cade Cunningham in the 2019-20 season at prep powerhouse Montverde Academy in suburban Orlando, Fla. Suggs, a 6-foot-4 guard, averaged 14.4 points in his only college season. He scored 24 points in his first college game against Kansas and had 22 points in Gonzaga’s loss to Baylor in the national championship game. The Magic propelled themselves into rebuilding mode on March 25 when they traded Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon and three others.