Franz Wagner gets selected by the Orlando Magic; could join Moe
By Alex Hinton
Michigan basketball standout Franz Wagner was selected with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft Thursday night.
“With the 8th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft” those words were uttered by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, before Michigan forward Franz Wagner had his NBA dream realized.
Wagner, a standout Michigan basketball player, was selected by the Orlando Magic with the 8th overall pick. Wagner joins his brother Moritz Wagner as an NBA first-round pick.
Moe was the 25th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers and spent last season with the Orlando Magic. He’s a pending free agent.
Franz Wagner: “I would love to play with Moe. We would have a great chemistry on and off the court. It would be fun to be with my brother. But I’m pretty sure he’s a free agent this offseason.”
— Clayton Sayfie (@CSayf23) July 30, 2021
It will also be awesome for the Wagner family if Franz and Moe end up playing on the same NBA team. The Wagner brothers just missed playing together at Michigan by one season, but they could potentially have that opportunity with the Magic.
Franz is the first Michigan basketball player selected in the lottery since Nik Stauskas also went 8th overall to the Sacramento Kings back in 2014. If coach Juwan Howard keeps Michigan recruiting at a high level, Franz will not be the last Michigan player to be selected in the lottery in the near future.
What kind of fit is Orlando for Franz Wagner?
While it would have been great for Franz Wagner’s career to be drafted by the Golden State Warriors, Orlando may end up a better situation for him individually.
Golden State has superstar Stephen Curry and he should get his running mate Klay Thompson back this season. The threat of the greatest shooting backcourt in the NBA would have created open looks for Wagner. However, they are both in the last years of their prime. With two first-round picks (7th and 14th overall) along with younger assets like Andrew Wiggins and James Wiseman, the Warriors were rumored to be looking to move those picks for an established player.
It’s possible that they could have drafted Wagner, only to ship him to another team and never play with Curry and Thompson.
In Orlando, Wagner has a clearer path to playing time and he will be able to establish himself quicker than he would in Golden State.
On the wing, Orlando has veterans Otto Porter Jr. and Terrence Ross and young players Chuma Okeke and Dwayne Bacon. Porter Jr. is an unrestricted free agent and likely won’t be back. Ross is on the last year of his deal and could be a valuable scoring option off the bench for a contender.
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The Magic are rebuilding and will want more picks and playing time available for their young core. Along with fellow 2021 first-round pick Jalen Suggs, 2020 first-round picks Cole Anthony and RJ Hampton, Markelle Fultz, Jonathan Isaac, and Wendell Carter, Wagner can grow with Orlando’s young core.