Magic to re-sign veteran big man

The older brother of Magic star Franz Wagner, Moritz has been with the team for four-plus seasons, having originally signed late in the 2020-21 campaign.

Wagner appeared well on his way to a career year in 2024/25, with averages of 12.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in 18.8 minutes per game and a shooting line of .562/.360/.718 through 30 contests. However, a torn left ACL in December prematurely brought his season to an end.

Faced with an increasingly expensive roster – and with Wagner still recovering from that ACL tear – Orlando declined its $11M team option on the 6-foot-11 forward/center last weekend, but there was always an expectation that the club wanted to bring him back at a reduced rate. With his Bird rights in hand, the Magic have the ability to re-sign Wagner without using any mid-level or bi-annual exception money.

Having traded for Desmond Bane last month and agreed to sign Tyus Jones in free agency earlier this week, Orlando now projects to operate in luxury-tax territory for the 2025-26 season.

According to Keith Smith of Spotrac, the Magic are roughly $4.3M above the tax line based on their reported moves, with about $3.7M in spending flexibility below a first-apron hard cap. That would be enough room to fill out the roster with second-round pick Noah Penda and a veteran-minimum player, though it’s unclear if Orlando will begin the season with a full 15-man roster, given its proximity to the hard cap.