Magic’s Moritz Wagner tears ACL, will miss rest of season

The Michigan alum departed the club’s eventual comeback victory against the Heat on Saturday after hurting the knee.

Across what will wind up being his only 30 games of the year, Wagner is averaging a career-best 12.9 points on .562/.360/.718 shooting splits, along with 4.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.8 steals a night.

Losing the 27-year-old frontcourt standout is another early season blow for the rising Magic. Orlando is currently 18-12 on the year, despite currently being without both of its top two players, All-Star forward Paolo Banchero and forward Franz Wagner, Moritz’s younger brother. Unlike Moritz, however, Franz Wagner and Banchero will return this season.

This injury now casts a pall on Moritz Wagner’s long-term future with the club. The veteran big man inked a two-season, $22M deal with the club as a free agent this past summer, but his $11M salary for 2025-26 is a team option. One wonders if Orlando, aspiring to compete for a title sooner rather than later, will keep the elder Wagner rostered, knowing he may miss some time next season.