Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner will be sidelined indefinitely coming out of the NBA All-Star break due to needing additional time and recovery for soreness in his left high ankle sprain, as first reported by Shams Charania of ESPN.
The team released a statement on Wednesday, stating that Wagner continues to experience soreness in his left ankle and will require additional time after the All-Star break to heal. Wagner will be re-evaluated in approximately three weeks.
This injury first occurred on Dec. 7 against the New York Knicks, and Wagner missed 16 consecutive games. Although he returned to play overseas in his hometown of Berlin on January 15 and again on January 18 in London, England, Wagner then missed nine consecutive games to manage his ankle injury.
In his extended absences, Anthony Black has emerged as a key weapon alongside Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane in Orlando.
Wagner, who has missed 25 of the Magic's last 29 games as a result of his ankle, has only played in 28 games this season due to a variety of injuries. This has directly resulted in Orlando's mediocre 28-25 record at the All-Star break.
Since the start of the 2024-25 season, Wagner and Banchero have only played 58 total games together. When both players are on the court, the Magic have gone 29-29 overall.
Wagner is not the only player to have missed significant time this season for the Magic, as Jalen Suggs has missed 20 total games to this point in the season due to a variety of injuries. Recently, Suggs suffered a Grade 1 right MCL injury in his knee, and he missed eight consecutive games.
The good news for Orlando is that Suggs has played in each of the Magic's last seven games before the All-Star break. At the same time, the Magic have yet to be fully whole this season and have Wagner, Banchero, Suggs, and Bane all on the court with one another for consecutive games.
In his 28 games this season, Wagner has averaged 21.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting 47.9 percent from the floor.
