Franz Wagner spent his summer doing the kind of work that doesn’t show up in highlights: rehab, recovery and a long reset after a calf strain cut short the Orlando Magic’s promising first-round playoff run last season.
By the time Magic Media Day rolled around Monday at the AdventHealth Training Center, Wagner said he was ready to move forward. The 25-year-old said the offseason began with a couple of weeks of rehab before he shifted into time off and travel. Most of that summer took him outside the country, but the work never really stopped.
Wagner stressed that rehab is more than one isolated block of treatment. It’s a process, and he kept that in mind even while visiting family and friends. He returned to the United States in August, which gave him a chance to take the work he’d been doing on his own and bring it into a shared setting with teammates.
For a Magic team that has watched its ceiling rise but still hasn’t broken through - three straight first-round playoff exits have made that plain - Wagner knows the next step has to be bigger than just another decent season. He said it simply: "Just turn the next page and level up as a team," Wagner said. "As an organization."
That expectation sits on top of a new coaching change as well. Under Sean Sweeney, Wagner knows there will be an adjustment period, but that’s only one of several changes he’s managing.
Another came away from the court. In free agency, Wagner’s brother Moritz left Orlando after more than five seasons with the team, signing a two-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets.
From the moment Franz entered the league in 2021, Moritz had been there with him. Wagner called that stretch something he loved and said he cherished the time they shared.
He also made clear he feels ready for this next stage without his brother at his side. In some ways, he said, the change has already helped by pushing him to spend more time with others.
Looking ahead, Wagner’s focus is straightforward. The 2026-27 season will be a major one for him, and the mission is to stay healthy, keep improving and give the Magic the best version of himself every night. For Orlando to get where it wants to go, that’s the version of Wagner it will need.
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Franz Wagner said at Orlando Magic Media Day that his offseason was centered on recovery after dealing with injuries, and he now enters training camp fully healthy. For a team trying to build on its momentum, that matters because Wagner is one of the players expected to help drive the next step, and his availability gives the roster a cleaner start as camp opens.
Jonathan Isaac, however, adds a familiar layer of caution. He said he will not be a full participant right away as he continues rehab from the left knee strain he suffered last season, while rookie Izaiyah Nelson is also working back from a broken ankle and is expected to miss at least a month. It is early, but the Magic are already balancing optimism about key pieces being ready with the reality that a few recovery timelines are still hanging over the first days of camp. [Read more 🡒]
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Franz Wagner Faces An Emotional First For The Magic
Franz Wagner is heading into his sixth NBA season with the Magic under a very different kind of backdrop, one that comes with as much emotion as basketball. For the first time since arriving in Orlando, he will not have his brother Moritz Wagner beside him on the roster, ending a shared stretch that gave the team a rare family connection and gave Franz a familiar presence through the ups and downs of the past few years.
Moritz has moved on to the Brooklyn Nets, leaving Franz to adjust to a new normal while the Magic continue to build under head coach Jamahl Mosley. Wagner has acknowledged the bittersweet nature of the split and expressed gratitude for their time together, but now the focus shifts to forging chemistry with a new group and carrying on in a season that will feel different before it even starts. [Read more 🡒]