Magic hit will all-too-familiar problem days into 2026-27 NBA season

When previewing the 2026-27 season, ESPN analyst and former front-office executive Bobby Marks cautioned whether Banchero and Wagner, who account for over half (50.31 percent) of the Magic's total salary cap, could get enough reps together considering both have dealt with injuries in recent years.

"It now seems recurring each season that when one player is healthy," Marks wrote, "the other is usually injured." He pointed to the duo's slim shared playing time over the past two seasons, when they combined to appear in 64 of a possible 164 regular-season games together.

"How does Orlando get a fair look at continuity throughout the season when 50 percent of your total cap can't stay on the court," Marks fairly asked, and it's a question the Magic will be forced to grapple with over the next month, possibly even into December.

After parting ways with four future first-round picks in a 2025 offseason trade for former Memphis Grizzles guard Desmond Bane, the Magic are all-in on contending for a title, but it's impossible to gauge how seriously they should be taken in the East (let alone the NBA at large) without their two highest-paid players able to consistently play at the same time.

When the duo was on the court together a season ago, the Magic only outscored opponents by 3.5 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com data.

Last December, Banchero, selected No. 1 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, scoffed at worries over his and Wagner's ability to coexist on the court, describing those concerns to the Athletic as "bull----."

"We know that we're at our strongest when both of us are out there on the floor," Banchero added.

But in recent seasons, the pair have been separated much more often than they've been united. Last December, Wagner suffered a left high-ankle sprain and didn't return until mid-January. He lasted two games before re-aggravating the ankle and missing another 22 games.

In late October 2024, Banchero tore his right oblique and missed the next two full months before returning on Jan. 10, 2025.

Rather than finally getting a full year with Banchero and Wagner together, the Magic are already in well-known territory, navigating the early part of the season without one of its two best players. 

While the pair could be the spark needed for a deep postseason run, Orlando can't stay patient forever. At a certain point, Banchero and Wagner need to be able to consistently share the court. If not, the Magic will need to find stars who can.