Michigan Basketball: Moe Wagner finds a new NBA team
Former Michigan basketball star Moritz Wagner signed with a new NBA team on Tuesday after getting traded and released earlier this season.
Life can come at you fast when you are a professional basketball player, as former Michigan basketball star Moritz Wagner learned this season.
At the start of the 2020-21 season, Wagner was playing for the Wizards and at one point, was getting regular starts as he started 13 of 25 games with Washington before being dealt to the Boston Celtics.
Wagner finished last season with Washington and in 45 games, he averaged more than eight points and shot 54 percent from the field as well as 31 percent from beyond the arc.
This season, his production dipped a little. Wagner shot 51 percent from the field, yet he still scored 7.1 points in 15 minutes of action per night. But he was traded to Boston and then Chicago before he was waived to become a free agent.
Now, it’s being reported that Wagner will sign with the Orlando Magic and spend the rest of the season playing for them.
Free agent F Moe Wagner is signing a deal with the Orlando Magic for the rest of the season, sources tell ESPN. Wagner has played with Washington and Boston this season.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 27, 2021
What this chance means for Moe
For Wagner, it’s a chance to show other NBA teams what he can do down the stretch. His 3-point shot hasn’t really improved this season but as long he keeps scoring inside, he should be able to stick around in the league as a backup center.
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It’s unfortunate that Wagner has bounced around the league so much. He does have some valuable skills in that he can play the 4/5 and has the ability to space the floor beyond the arc.
That’s one thing he will need to do better as his career moves on. NBA teams value guys who can shoot the basketball and Wagner is good enough to shoot better than 31 percent from deep.
The Magic aren’t a playoff contender and seem ready for a rebuild after trading their all-star center away to Chicago prior to the trade deadline.
It’s possible Wagner could earn himself a spot next season, by playing well down the stretch. Mo Bamba is on the roster, as well as Wendell Carter Jr., another former first-round pick.
Wagner probably doesn’t register in the long-term plans right now, but he has about a month left to show teams why he should be in the NBA for the 2021-22 season.