Orlando's Moe Wagner, Who Knows about Ups and Downs, Says Magic Are on 'Right Trajectory'

With the Orlando Magic coming within a game of advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, forward Moe Wagner is confident in the team's direction.

Apr 27, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic center Moritz Wagner (21) drives to the hoop past Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) in the second quarter during game four of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Kia Center. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

ORLANDO — Few players on the Orlando Magic have experienced the ups and downs that Moe Wagner has endured in his career.

After the Los Angeles Lakers drafted him in 2018, Wagner spent the early part of his career bouncing from team to team . The Lakers traded him to the Washington Wizards in 2019. He played for them and the Boston Celtics in the 2020-21 season before getting waived and landing with Orlando at the beginning of its rebuild.

Now, Wagner has been an integral part of the Magic's evolution from a lottery team to a 47-35 record, a playoff berth, and a bright future.

"I think that's pretty obvious that there's the right trajectory going on," Wagner said. "People pulling the same strings and want to go somewhere here. Good things take time. I think this was a great step. I'm a big believer of you don't have to lose in order to learn, [but] unfortunately, it seems to be part of it."

Wagner was instrumental in Orlando's success this season, as he averaged a career-best 10.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game off the bench. His scoring ability helped the Magic rank fourth in bench points with 41.5 per game.

His brother, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs and Paolo Banchero have been at the core of Orlando's resurgence. They were the Magic's three leading scorers in the regular season and playoffs and are the first trio under 23 years old to each score 20 or more points in a playoff game since Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka did it for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2011.

Those three young Magic stars, the nucleus of the fifth-youngest roster in the NBA, legitimize the hope that Orlando can become a perennial playoff team and a contender in the Eastern Conference.

"Understanding where we came from two, three years ago when [coach Jamahl Mosley] first got here [and] we were a half away from advancing from the second round," Wagner said. "So there's definitely a lot of silver linings for us as a young group and we're going to embrace that this summer and [we're] going to come back stronger."

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