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Franz Wagner Rumors
The current version of the Magic are one of the top up-and-coming teams, led by All-Star forward Paolo Banchero, who recently signed a five-year contract extension worth $239 million. Orlando has been to the playoffs the past two seasons, but have failed to advance past the first round. This upcoming season could be a different story with the Eastern Conference wide open. "They've been in this sort of situation they're in for the last few years, a playoff team first round," Grant Hill told SportsBoom.com in an exclusive interview. "But I think bringing in (Desmond) Bane, what they've done this offseason. They were decimated by injuries throughout the season last year, but you got an incredible young player in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner as well."
Jason Beede: New #Magic guard Desmond Bane was asked about his impression of the talent he’s joining in Orlando: “Super talented … Paolo, Franz, Jalen, Wendell, Tristan, Anthony Black … It was always tough to put the ball in the basket against them, I’ll tell you that.” More: pic.x.com/qImMcgnuSF
Grizzlies have been interested in OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Franz Wagner in the past
The Grizzlies — from Mikal Bridges to OG Anunoby to Orlando's own Franz Wagner — have made several aggressive trade pursuits of their own laden with draft capital in recent years, league sources say.
Yossi Gozlan: The Magic aren’t only investing in draft equity. It’s a major investment in their payroll and beyond. Franz Wagner: $41.8 million Desmond Bane: $39.5 million Jalen Suggs: $37.4 million Paolo Banchero’s expected max: $42.5-$51 million 2026-27 payroll and tax could exceed $350 million.
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Franz Wagner on his shooting form post-injury: 'Sometimes it got slower and a little bit less fluid'
Perhaps the most glaring difference in Wagner’s play pre- and post-injury was his 3-point shot. Expectedly, the amount of time he missed disrupted his rhythm, and his form from distance changed. “If you look at the numbers, it probably did a little bit,” Wagner said when asked if the injury which occurred on the same of his body as where he shoots from impacted his form. “Sometimes, it got slower and a little bit less fluid. So, those things I’m going to work on.”
Wagner believes some of his issues were mental more than physical. “I’m sure some of you guys golf: If you have 10 things in your mind, you’re not going to shoot it well that day,” he said. “Just the way my mind works, it’s been a problem for me, honestly, not just in the NBA, just in life in general. “So that’s my challenge for the summer and that has an impact on my shot as well,” he added.
Following back-to-back first-round exits, Banchero doesn’t want his fourth season to end the same way. “That would be looked at as not a success if we were to get bounced in the first round again,” he said. “Now the mindset is: How can I — how can we — do everything that it takes to make sure that’s not the case?” He’s on board with president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman’s message Thursday that the franchise is entering a “win-now” phase of its roster construction, even if that means altering Orlando’s squad that won 41 games despite only having Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs for six. “Every year since my rookie year, the team’s been different,” Banchero said. “So you know that coming in that next year it is going to be different. It’s just a matter of what’s going to be different. “I’m excited to see because whatever’s being done to help us win more games, I’m excited for,” he added.
Mason Williams: Paolo Banchero on what he learned about how having a point guard like Cory Joseph in the starting 5 at the end of the season benefited him and the #Magic's offense: "I think having a ball-handler out there at the guard position can help me a lot, can help Franz a lot. Cory did a good job of stepping in, being himself, doing all the little things that mattered to winning, and I definitely think it helped us. I think it was a good change ... he came in and took a little bit off of me and Franz, played a little bit with the ball-handling and stuff like that, which did make our lives a little easier."
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Jorge Sierra: Jamal Murray has easily the best scoring average in NBA playoffs history among non-All-Star players. CJ McCollum: 20.1 ppg Ben Gordon: 20.2 ppg Tom Burleson: 20.7 ppg Franz Wagner: 21.7 ppg JAMAL MURRAY: 24.2 ppg
Jayson Tatum, Celtics complete gentleman sweep of Magic
Taylor Snow: FINAL: Celtics 120, Magic 89 ☘️ Tatum: 35 PTS, 8 REB, 10 AST ☘️ Brown: 23 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST ☘️ Pritchard: 10 PTS, 3 REB ☘️ Hauser: 10 PTS (4-4 FG) 🪄 Wagner: 25 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST, 5 PF 🪄 Banchero: 19 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST, 5 PF ☘️ 4 down, 12 to go 🏆
Jason Beede: “We control a lot of the stuff that happens in a game and we can play a lot better,” #Magic forward Franz Wagner said. “I feel like we still haven’t played our best basketball … We’ll be better in Game 5 and we’ll make sure we come in with the right mentality.”
The Orlando Magic secured a critical 95-93 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series on Friday night, riding standout performances from Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner to cut the series deficit to 2-1. Following the victory, head coach Jamahl Mosley praised the leadership and resilience of his young stars as a decisive factor in the team's ability to deliver under pressure. “They’ve been great. Their communication, their toughness, their resilience, their ability to just stay the course no matter what’s happening in the game,” Mosley said postgame. “And then playing off of one another, getting into the huddles, it’s big when one guy can say no, get him the ball, no you give him the ball… and that’s just the care they have for one another, but also wanting to do the right thing no matter what it takes. If one guy’s got it going, you let them have it and then let them make plays off of each other.”
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