The Magic came out of the offseason looking a lot like the team that finished eighth in the East and bowed out in the first round of the 2025/26 playoffs. The biggest shift in Orlando isn’t on the roster. It’s on the sideline, where new head coach Sean Sweeney has already made a strong early impression.
Franz Wagner said at a youth basketball camp on Sunday, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel, that Sweeney kept in touch with him regularly while Wagner was in Europe.
“When I was in Europe, (Sweeney) called me like every week, which I thought was awesome, just to chop it up really,” Wagner said. “He had certain things he wanted to talk about.
The first thing is, he’s very direct (with) communication. He’s very honest (and) says what he feels.
It’s going to be a lot of changes from how we do things. All good stuff.
“So, I’m really excited to see what this new staff brings to the table. It’s going to be interesting how we react to it as a group.
Obviously, we had the same coach for the last five years. It’s going to be some change and some adjustments for us, how we’re being coached, and that’s where growth comes in.
So, I’m excited for that.”
Paolo Banchero said at media day on Monday that Sweeney reached out soon after getting the job, and the two had several lengthy conversations over the summer. Banchero also said the new coach flew to Seattle to spend time with him, according to Beede.
Tristan Da Silva said Sweeney has already met with every player on the roster and laid out the role he sees for each of them. Da Silva described the new coach as highly detailed, structured and attentive.
There’s also some health news to sort through as camp approaches. Jonathan Isaac, whose 2025/26 season ended early because of a left knee sprain, said Monday he won’t be fully unrestricted when training camp opens, per Beede. “We’re expecting to be fine,” Isaac said.
Anthony Black, meanwhile, is in line for a rookie scale extension through October 19, but he said Monday he isn’t putting pressure on the situation. The fourth-year guard sounded calm about the possibility of a deal, saying, “If it happens, it happens,” according to Beede.
Jevon Carter is already locked in for another year after signing a new minimum-salary deal with Orlando early in free agency. Carter called the move a “no-brainer” on Monday, and said he kept his house in the area because he hoped a return to the Magic would work out.
As for rookie big man Izaiyah Nelson, the rehab process is still ongoing after surgery in July to repair a fracture in his left ankle suffered during the Las Vegas Summer League. Nelson said Monday he has started doing a little work on the court again, while president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said the 2026 second-round pick is “still probably a month or so” away from live play.
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Franz Wagner Could Decide How Far This New Magic Team Goes
Franz Wagner enters this season in a different kind of reset for the Magic, one that goes beyond the new coaching staff led by Sean Sweeney. He spent the offseason working back from a high ankle sprain and calf strain that hampered him last year, and Orlando will be eager to see how quickly he settles into a fresh system after an interrupted stretch.
There is also a personal adjustment layered into the basketball one, with Wagner preparing for the first time to play an NBA season without his brother on the same team after the older Wagner signed with the Brooklyn Nets. For Orlando, the bigger picture is clear: if this new version of the team is going to take a meaningful step, Wagners health and comfort in the new setup will be a major part of it. [Read more 🡒]
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A quiet offseason has left the Magic looking much the same on paper, and that is partly the point. Orlando kept most of its roster intact, made only a few moves, and moved into a new coaching era with Sean Sweeney taking over as head coach, a setup that has them landing in the middle of a lot of national preseason power rankings rather than at the center of any summer splash.
Jeff Weltman has sounded comfortable with that low-drama approach, saying the organization liked the focus that came with it, and players have already spoken positively about Sweeneys style. The real test, of course, starts when training camp opens Tuesday, with the preseason set to begin Oct. 7, because the Magic still have to prove that a quieter reset can turn into something more meaningful once the games count. [Read more 🡒]
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Banchero has already shown the kind of talent that makes the ceiling easy to imagine, but the next step is about turning that promise into something steadier. Analysts have pointed to his need for more consistency and stronger leadership, and those are the traits that could determine whether Orlandos season feels like another step forward or just another year of waiting for the breakout to fully arrive. [Read more 🡒]