Orlando Magic center Moritz Wagner suffered an injury with 2:33 left in the first quarter of Saturday night’s win against the Miami Heat. The severity of the injury was not known right away, but now we have a new Mo Wagner injury update. An MRI revealed he has a torn ACL in his left knee and is out for the season.
Mo Wagner Injury Update, What Comes Next for Orlando Magic
Losing Wagner is another blow to a young Magic team that was playing well. They started the season 16-9, and at one point, they had a 12-1 stretch in which Franz Wagner (younger brother of Mo) was playing out of his mind. Their young stars, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are both out due to oblique injuries. Banchero has been out since late October, but he is getting close to returning. Franz Wagner might not come back until January or maybe even February.
On the season, Mo Wagner has averaged 12.9 points and 4.9 rebounds. Before suffering the injury, he appeared in every game this season, averaging 18.8 minutes per game. He posted career highs in points, rebounds, steals, and three-point shooting percentage.
Do the Magic Need Another Center?
The Orlando Magic have Wendell Carter Jr. and Goga Bitadze who can fill in minutes at center. They average 25 and 24 minutes respectively. They also have Jonathan Isaac playing at power forward who can take over some minutes. When Banchero returns, he plays power forward and should stabilize the rotation.
Yet, if the Magic want to try and contend this season, they will surely need to find someone to fill in the void left by Moritz.
Are they Sellers or Buyers Now?
The Orlando Magic were a swing team before the Mo Wagner injury update, but they might become buyers at the trade deadline market.
A week ago, the Magic had a logjam at center with Carter Jr., Bitadze, and Mo Wagner. There were even trade rumors about whether the Magic should try and move Bitadze in a way to improve the balance of their rotation. Now, they will be reluctant to trade him.
Bitadze is not trade-eligible until January 15 after signing a three-year deal in the offseason. Carter Jr. is not available for trade until the offseason because of the timing of his deal. Now, they need to try and look for cheap options that will not put stress on their salary moving forward.
Of late, the Magic have been starting both Carter Jr. and Bitadze (Carter Jr. as the power forward). They may find the need to tweak their starting lineup to allow for a backup big.
Trade Options for the Magic
The latest Mo Wagner injury update might signal the Magic are ready to make a move for another center/power forward who can shoot and stretch the floor. The good news is there are a couple of options they can look at. Players such as Kelly Olynyk of the Toronto Raptors and Day’Ron Sharpe of the Brooklyn Nets could be available for Orlando to acquire.
