Michigan Basketball: Wagner brothers will play together in Orlando

After Franz Wagner was drafted by Orlando, his brother, Moritz Wagner re-signed with the team, reuniting the brothers and former Michigan basketball players.

It was pretty exciting when Franz Wagner was selected by the Orlando Magic last week with the eighth overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft.

For one, Wagner was the latest first-round pick and lottery selection for the Michigan basketball program, but also, it meant that Franz could potentially be teammates with his brother Moritz Wagner, another former Michigan basketball star.

Before Franz came to Ann Arbor, Moe made the Wagner name famous with Michigan basketball fans as he helped lead the Wolverines to a national title game appearance in 2018 before being selected in the first round of the draft by the LA Lakers.

Since then, Wagner has bounced around in the league and last season, he ended up with the Orlando Magic — the same team that drafted his younger brother.

However, Moe was going to be a restricted free agent, meaning there was no sure thing that he would return to Orlando to play alongside his brother.

Yet, on Thursday, it was reported that Moe will return to Orlando, signing a two-year deal to stay with the Magic, which will also put him on the same roster as Franz.

Michigan basketball fans should enjoy watching the Magic

Moe has bounced around the league but he spent the final 11 games of last season playing for the Magic and he started 10. In that stretch, he averaged 11 points, 4.9 rebounds, and shot 37 percent from the 3-point line and 87 percent from the foul line on three attempts per game in 26 minutes.

Now that doesn’t mean Wagner is going to be the starting center for the Magic next season but he does provide some depth and has the ability to play the four or five, although he can be a defensive liability.

The league needs shooters though and Moe can certainly shoot from the perimeter. He shot 34 percent from beyond the arc in the prior season.

Regardless of the roles, it’s going to be fun to see the Wagners playing together, and seeing that Franz was a top-10 pick and is one of the most NBA-ready prospects, I’d expect to see him garner a major role with the franchise but as long as Moe can be productive, he can stick too.