9:40am: The Magic have officially signed Wagner, the team announced in a press release. Franks has been released early from his 10-day contract in order to open up the necessary roster spot.
9:00am: The Magic have agreed to sign free agent big man Moritz Wagner, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). It’ll be a standard contract for Wagner rather than a 10-day deal, Wojnarowski adds.
Wagner, who turned 24 on Monday, has already played for three teams since being selected with the 25th overall pick in the 2018 draft. He spent his rookie year with the Lakers, was traded to the Wizards in the three-team Anthony Davis blockbuster in 2019, then was flipped to the Celtics at this year’s deadline in a three-team deal that also involved the Bulls. Boston subsequently waived Wagner.
A 6’11” forward/center, Wagner has averaged 6.5 PPG and 3.2 RPG in 122 career games (14.1 MPG) as a pro. While the German has some potential as a floor-stretching big man, his three-point shot has been unreliable since he entered the NBA — he has made just 30.2% of his outside attempts.
Having shifted into rebuilding mode, the Magic will see what they can get out of Wagner down the stretch as he presumably auditions for a spot on next year’s roster. It’s not clear yet whether or not Wagner’s deal with the Magic will cover multiple seasons, but even if it’s just a rest-of-season pact, he’d be eligible for restricted free agency this offseason.
Orlando doesn’t currently have an open 15-man roster spot, but has two players on 10-day deals. As we noted earlier today, Robert Franks‘ and Donta Hall‘s 10-day contracts run through Saturday and Sunday, respectively. If the Magic want to officially sign Wagner before this weekend, they could terminate one of those two contracts early (the player would still be paid for 10 days of service).
Bamba should definitely leave in free agency. He shouldn’t forget how Disney Land never gave him an opportunity even though his potential is through the roof! Let’s see if he has guts though…
Guts or stamina. Bamba’s splits show DRtg goes way down as a starter, 133 to 111, and down after 19 minutes, 119-109. That’s on him, and maybe covid. They’re both too high for his reach.
ORL got rid of players just to make room for Bamba: Vucevic, Birch & Gordon. Isaac is out too, and Okeke young. If Bamba was all that, then Wagner is no problem.
Actually Wagner could be good for Bamba as a 4, to make entry passes. Players trained as postmen make the best entries. There is more room for Wagner there rn.
Wagner’s 3pt% has gone from .286 to .313 to .333. In a couple more years, projects to 38% fine.
That wouldn’t be smart. Weltman is known for overpaying unproven young players, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they offer him an extension. Magic fans have used every excuse in the book when comes to bamba and now that all there vet bigs are gone(and he is currently losing his minutes to a younger player) I think it’s time to accept the reality.
Moe isn’t eligible for the post-season, but if the Magic were to go on a run, he would be eligible for play-in games.
Bamba and Carter should start together