Magic's Moritz Wagner: Late addition to starting lineup
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Wagner is in the starting five for Friday's game versus the Cavaliers, Spencer Davies of SI.com reports.
Wagner will replace Wendell Carter (knee) in the starting lineup Friday. Across his first five appearances this season, Wagner is averaging 11.0 points and 4.4 rebounds in 15.2 minutes but should see an uptick in playing time against Cleveland.
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Magic's Moritz Wagner: Pops for 18 points in win
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Wagner recorded 18 points (7-8 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 3-4 FT), three rebounds, one block and one steal in 15 minutes during Friday's 116-101 victory over the Nets.
Wagner caught fire off the bench, scoring a season-high 18 points. Wagner has the ability to flash some offensive upside, making him a name to watch, even in standard formats. While the offensive output was encouraging, he still played only 15 minutes. As long as he is serving as the backup to Wendell Carter, Wagner is going to find it hard to put up consistent value.
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Magic's Moritz Wagner: Solid outing in Olympic loss
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Wagner posted 16 points (7-14 FG, 2-6 3Pt), four rebounds, one assist and one block across 24 minutes in Saturday's 93-83 loss by Germany to Serbia in the bronze medal game of the Paris Olympics.
Wagner produced his highest scoring outing of the Paris Olympics in this game, but it was not enough to lift the team past Nikola Jokic and Serbia. The 27-year-old Wagner was not asked to do much in the scoring department alongside Franz Wagner and Dennis Schroder, but he did shoot an efficient 52.5 percent from the field during the Paris Olympics. In six Olympic appearances, Wagner averaged 9.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists across 17.0 minutes per game.
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Magic's Moritz Wagner: Suiting up for Germany
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Wagner is on the German national team's roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Wagner is coming off a strong 2023-24 campaign for the Magic in which he averaged 10.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 17.7 minutes across 80 regular-season appearances. For Germany, Wagner should be one of the team's primary options in the frontcourt alongside Daniel Theis.
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Magic's Moritz Wagner: Returns to Magic on two-year deal
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Wagner agreed to a two-year, $22 million deal with the Magic on Tuesday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
The Magic declined Wagner's team option on Saturday, but the sides agreed on a new deal to bring him back for two more seasons. The 27-year-old averaged a career-high 10.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.5 steals across 17.7 minutes last year over 80 regular-season games. Moreover, Wagner shot a career-high 60.1 percent from the field.
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Moritz Wagner: To become free agent
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The Magic declined Wagner's $8 million team option for the 2024-25 season on Saturday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
Despite this move by the Magic, Wojnarowski reports that there is mutual interest to negotiate a fresh deal in free agency. Wagner made 80 appearances for the Magic last season, posting averages of 10.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.5 three-pointers in 17.7 minutes per contest.
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Magic's Moritz Wagner: Modest production continues
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Wagner ended with seven points (2-5 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 3-4 FT), four rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal across 15 minutes during Saturday's 112-89 victory over Cleveland in Game 4 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Wagner has averaged 7.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 16.8 minutes through the first four games of the opening-round series against the Cavaliers. The Magic's rotation was basically cut to nine players Saturday, with Wagner, Cole Anthony, Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac all playing at least 15 minutes off the bench.
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Magic's Moritz Wagner: Leads bench in scoring vs. 76ers
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Wagner provided 17 points (7-7 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 2-2 FT), six rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal in 18 minutes during Friday's 125-113 loss to Philadelphia.
Wagner has now scored in double digits in two of his last three games. He's averaging 17.7 minutes per game this season, but with Wendell Carter leaving Friday's game due to back spasms, Wagner could see extended playing time in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Bucks.
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Magic's Moritz Wagner: Close to double-double off bench
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Wagner finished with 12 points (6-10 FG, 0-2 FT), nine rebounds, two assists and one steal across 18 minutes during Friday's 100-97 loss to the Clippers.
Wagner made his presence felt Friday despite logging only 18 minutes, as she showed an efficient touch on offense while ending just one rebound shy of a double-double. Wagner has been one of the most productive players on a per-minute basis of late. He's averaging 8.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.4 steals despite logging just 14.8 minutes per game over his last 10 appearances.
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Magic's Moritz Wagner: Perfect off bench
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Wagner finished with 14 points (5-5 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT) and one rebound over 14 minutes during Thursday's 121-106 win over the Pelicans.
Wagner was one of five Magic bench players to finish Thursday's game with a point differential of plus-14 or better. He's only cracked 20 minutes of playing time once in March, but Wagner has been efficient with his touches as of late. He's shooting 64.4 percent from the field while averaging 9.6 points and 3.3 rebounds over 15.1 minutes per game in March.
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Magic's Moritz Wagner: Puts up 14 points off bench
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Wagner supplied 14 points (6-9 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 1-1 FT), four rebounds, one assist and one block in 18 minutes during Sunday's 111-96 win over the Raptors.
Wagner has adjusted to a bench role this season, but he's been playing well even under those conditions, as he's been thriving as a second-unit scoring option. However, the lack of consistency remains an issue, as Wagner has now failed to score in double digits in five of his last eight appearances.
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Magic's Moritz Wagner: Posts double-double off bench
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Wagner recorded 14 points (6-7 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 10 rebounds, one assist and one steal over 26 minutes in Thursday's 115-107 win over Utah.
Wagner led all bench players in Thursday's contest in scoring while hauling in a team-high rebound total and ending as the lone Magic player with a double-double in a winning effort. Wagner has hauled in 10 or more boards in four games this season, ending with a double-double in three of those contests.
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Magic's Moritz Wagner: Puts up 16 points off bench
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Wagner accumulated 16 points (4-7 FG, 8-9 FT), five rebounds, two assists and one steal over 19 minutes during Tuesday's 108-81 win over the Nets.
Wagner has carved out a consistent bench role this season, and he's making the most of his opportunities as Wendell Carter's primary backup. Known for his scoring prowess, Wagner has been on a roll of late, scoring in double digits in all but one of his last six appearances despite averaging a mere 16.8 minutes per game in that span.
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Magic's Moritz Wagner: Leading scorer off bench in victory
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Wagner ended with 22 points (7-12 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 7-8 FT), seven rebounds and one steal over 25 minutes in Thursday's 116-109 win over Cleveland.
Wagner led all players in Thursday's contest in scoring while playing a bench-leading minutes total en route to the lone 20-point performance in a winning effort. Wagner, who also hauled in a team-high-tying rebound mark, has scored 20 or more points in four games this season, with the most recent such performance before Thursday occurring Jan. 9 against Minnesota. He has now recorded at least 15 points and seven rebounds in seven outings.
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Magic's Moritz Wagner: Leads bench in assists
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Wagner registered 10 points (5-5 FG), five rebounds and four assists over 20 minutes during Sunday's 111-99 victory over the Pistons.
Wagner led the Magic bench in assists to go along with a handful of rebounds and a bench-high-tying double-digit point total to provide Orlando with a spark on the second unit. Wagner tied a season high in assists, a mark he has posted three times this year. He has now finished in double figures off the bench in six of his last seven outings.
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Magic's Moritz Wagner: Double-double off bench Sunday
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Wagner closed with 16 points (5-13 FG, 6-8 FT), 12 rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal across 23 minutes during Sunday's 113-98 win over the Suns.
Wagner recorded his first double-double of the season Sunday, and he did it in a tough matchup -- coming off the bench against one of the best teams in the Western Conference and dealing with a physical frontcourt. Wagner continues to find ways to produce off the bench for the Magic, and he has scored in double digits in each of his last three appearances despite not playing more than 23 minutes in each of those contests. He remains a valuable fantasy alternative in deeper formats due to his ability to put up numbers in limited time.
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Magic's Moritz Wagner: Scores 15 points
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Wagner posted 15 points (4-8 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 6-8 FT), four rebounds and one assist across 18 minutes during Monday's 126-99 loss to Cleveland.
With Wendell Carter recently moving into the starting lineup, Wagner appears to be the preferred center off the bench at the expense of Goga Bitadze. Whether or not this is a permanent change remains to be seen, but Wagner certainly made a strong case Monday evening.
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Magic's Moritz Wagner: Drops out of rotation
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Wagner (coach's decision) went unused off the bench in Monday's 98-94 win over the Knicks.
With Wendell Carter (knee) logging 19 minutes off the bench behind starting center Goga Bitadze in his return from a five-game absence, the Magic had no room in the rotation for Wagner. Though the Magic had previously opened up minutes for all three big men during a brief stretch in late December when Carter made his return from a fractured finger, Wagner didn't factor into the equation at power forward, with all of those minutes falling to Jonathan Isaac when Paolo Banchero was off the floor. Wagner thus looks as though he'll need an injury to another frontcourt player before he recaptures a role on the second unit.
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Magic's Moritz Wagner: Productive off bench Friday
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Wagner ended with 19 points (7-9 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 5-5 FT), five rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal over 29 minutes during Friday's 99-96 loss to the Heat.
Wagner missed just two shots from the field and was a reliable threat on offense, but he also posted solid numbers in other categories and made his presence felt on both ends of the court. Wagner has settled well into a bench role and is averaging 13.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game in his last five outings with the second unit.
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Magic's Moritz Wagner: Leading scorer off bench
Rotowire
Wagner accumulated 21 points (6-9 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 8-11 FT), eight rebounds, two assists and two steals over 31 minutes during Tuesday's 113-92 loss to the Timberwolves.
Wagner has scored in double digits in four of his last five games and has played 25 or more minutes in his last three appearances. He's had a strong start to the calendar year and has averaged 13.8 points on 55.6 percent shooting, 6.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals over his last five outings.
