NBA Mock Trade: Thunder Acquire Wagner From Orlando

Could Moritz Wagner be a valuable fill-in center for Oklahoma City to acquire from the Magic at the trade deadline?

While there’s obvious buzz around Franz Wagner of the Magic, his older brother is quietly developing into a solid rotational center in Orlando.

Considering the Magic already have a pretty stacked frontcourt that includes young, rising talent, there’s a chance they could be convinced to part ways with an older player like Wagner. At 25 years old, his best basketball is still ahead of him, but Orlando has several younger prospects that have higher ceilings at similar positions.

The 6-foot-11 center is currently averaging 11.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game while knocking down 34.2% of his triples this season.

For a team like Oklahoma City that really needs a center, could the Thunder build a package that includes Wagner?

Whether it be a former first-round pick in Darius Bazley headlining the package or second-round capital, Wagner could be a fairly cheap acquisition to play much needed center minutes in OKC. Furthermore, he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and might be a rental.

The same goes for Bazley, so swapping former first rounders in a package could make sense for both teams’ roster explorations plans. Bazley is a bit more versatile and can play multiple positions unlike Wagner, which could be intriguing for Orlando. He’s also a fantastic defender, which would benefit the Magic.

These two teams would need to make it a larger deal for the money to work, but a deal involving Wagner and Bazley makes sense.

Oklahoma City gets a center for the rest of the season that could be re-signed if the fit is right, while the Magic could enhance their defense before making a decision on Bazley’s future in Orlando. 

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