My latest for @orlandosports: Franz Wagner is “progressing well” for the #Magic, who enter a home back-to-back stint:
Plus, I spoke one-on-one with Orlando’s Anthony Black about his own injury, the first of its kind he’s dealt with in his career:
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BERLIN, GERMANY - JANUARY 15: Franz Wagner #22 of the Orlando Magic reacts during the fourth quarter of the NBA Match between Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic at Uber Arena on January 15, 2026 in Berlin, Germany.
Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic has played in just four games since December with a concerning ankle injury; however, the star forward recently got some good news, as his status was upgraded before the team’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.
Wagner is now officially listed as questionable for the Magic vs Hawks game on Wednesday night. It’s the first time he’s been upgraded since going out with the ankle injury in early February.
While his status for the game against Atlanta has not yet been confirmed, based on all the latest Wagner injury updates, he could finally be making his return for Orlando as they hope to make a late-season push up the standings.
GettyFranz Wagner #22 of the Orlando Magic dribbles during the third quarter of the NBA Match between Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic at Uber Arena on January 15, 2026 in Berlin, Germany.
UPDATE: Wagner has been upgraded to available and will play for the first time since February 11.
As mentioned, Wagner is officially listed as questionable for the Magic’s upcoming contest against the Hawks.
The news of his upgraded status comes just a day after multiple reports emerged that the 24-year-old is progressing well from the ankle injury that has derailed his 2025-26 NBA season.
Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reported that Wagner is making ‘good progress’ on his ankle issue.
“Franz is progressing well,” head coach Jamahl Mosley told the team insider about a potential Wagner injury return. “We’ll see how he responds to that treatment today and go from there…We want to make sure that we’re covering every aspect that we can.”
My latest for @orlandosports: Franz Wagner is “progressing well” for the #Magic, who enter a home back-to-back stint:
Plus, I spoke one-on-one with Orlando’s Anthony Black about his own injury, the first of its kind he’s dealt with in his career:
That report was then compounded by Wagner himself saying that he feels a return is coming soon.
“I think the return is close,” Wagner said, according to Toni Canyameras of BasketNews. “I’m hoping to play before the season ends and feel good about where I’m at. I think even when you’re out, you’re going to have a good vibe about yourself and a good attitude about everything.”
Wagner has played in just 28 games this season, putting up 21.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists on 47.9% shooting. However, he’s been sidelined for all but four games since December, as the Magic have struggled to make progress in the standings.
Still, the latest update of Wagner being upgraded to questionable is a good sign for Orlando, as he could finally make his return Wednesday night against the Hawks.
GettyORLANDO, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 24: Paolo Banchero #5 of the Orlando Magic reacts against the Atlanta Hawks during the fourth quarter at Kia Center on October 24, 2025 in Orlando, Florida.
The 2025-26 season has been an interesting one for the Magic, as after sending a massive haul in a trade for Desmond Bane, they were predicted to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
So far, however, that has not been the case, and they’ve remained in the Play-In Tournament seeds for most of the year.
Bane has played well and has been mostly available for the team. Still, questions and injury concerns remain for Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs, as along with Wagner, those two have also missed time this season.
The Magic have seen the rise of young players Anthony Black and Tristan da Silva, but without a fully healthy roster, they have yet to reach the expectations put on them in the preseason with their retooled lineup.
Wagner, Black, and Jonathan Isaac still make up the Magic injury report in the lead-up to the game versus the Hawks.
With just seven games to go in their regular season schedule, Orlando is 40-35 and eighth in the East, likely needing to go through the Play-In to secure a spot in the postseason.
But regardless, with the potential of getting Wagner back either on Wednesday against Atlanta or sometime soon, any hopes of making waves in the playoffs have now increased, despite what has been a mostly underwhelming season for the Central Florida team so far this year.
Eli Gregorski is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy Sports. He has years of sports writing experience covering the NBA, NFL, college football and basketball, international soccer, and Formula One. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was the assistant sports editor for the award-winning CU Independent student publication. More about Eli Gregorski
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