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He’s on a 2 year deal and only 24yo. I love his intensity, passion and emotion. I also find that he’s pretty good finishing upon contact, and his throw downs can be quite authoritative. He’s growing on me; I’d like to see Orlando extend him. He’s very serviceable imo. Anyone concur or am i off on this one?

It is probable that Wagner will have his option picked up. From there .... that's a next-year problem.

My opinion: M-Wagner is better and has more upside than Bamba. I think he is a multis-year keeper, and Bamba is not. I can see M-Wagner as the primary backup big in a year or two. A real 20-25 mpg guy as a 7th man.


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I would like to keep Mo Wagner beyond this season as a reserve spark big. He has great energy, our young players look up to him for some reason and he can score a bunch of points very fast. You cant just put your worst defender on him like you can on Bamba.
I would move Bamba and keep Wagner. He could be 8th-10th player in a rotation if his shooting stabilizes. His size gives him even some playoff minutes potential.

I think he's a solid 2nd or 3rd center off the bench. Could be good value. His season TS% is 60% and his PER is 16.4. You could do a lot worse for how much he's getting paid. He plays with a good spirit (very MCW-like) that you want out of a bench player.

I've always liked him. Just keep in mind his production comes and goes, and he isn't shy about shooting in either case. So there will be games where he annoys you. Set your expectations.

I like him as the 10th or 11th guy on the team. Ceiling is back up big.

I like his energy. He seems like a good locker room guy as well. If he is happy on his small deal and his presence keeps Franz happy with the org then by all means keep him around.

MagicFan101 wrote:I like his energy. He seems like a good locker room guy as well. If he is happy on his small deal and his presence keeps Franz happy with the org then by all means keep him around.

Yep. I liked him coming out of college as a backup big but I just don't think he's consistent enough to give rotation minutes to on a good team. Maybe he improves on that front? But for now, if he keeps Franz happy, continues to root for his teammates, and occasionally balls out, I would keep him.

drsd wrote:It is probable that Wagner will have his option picked up. From there .... that's a next-year problem.

My opinion: M-Wagner is better and has more upside than Bamba. I think he is a multis-year keeper, and Bamba is not. I can see M-Wagner as the primary backup big in a year or two. A real 20-25 mpg guy as a 7th man.


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I subscribe to every word in this message.
I would also add the positive impact (we're not able to see but it's evident) that his presence had and is having on his young brother. Franz is a stud but with his elder brother close to him on the same team, I'm sure everything has been much more easier.
They enjoy so much playing together...you can see it on their faces

He is solid 9th-10th man in rotation. If he can play full time C he will get more chances in nba.

pepe1991 wrote:He is solid 9th-10th man in rotation. If he can play full time C he will get more chances in nba.

He is not quick but his positioning seems improved. His rotations looked fine today. With age he will become stronger which could be even more important for playing center. Rebounding is suspect but he doesnt shy away from contact and he boxes out players.

Prefer him to bamba right now and that shouldn't be the case...

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I liked him since our endgame to the tank last season. He is a solid big off the bench. A bigger more offensively threatening Birch ( which is what you want in a backup big ).

He should be playing 10-15 mins max as a backup pf/c... unless he goes full Tross like last game where you can play him more.

Mo is head and shoulders above Birch as a backup center.

Like his passion and energy. That changes the team culture. Seems like a good dude who focuses on what he does. I'd extend him and he can be a solid 2nd or 3rd center off the bench. But that is not my decision

pepe1991 wrote:He is solid 9th-10th man in rotation. If he can play full time C he will get more chances in nba.

10th man on this Magic roster now and could make half of the NBA squads as a 13th man.

But I do see he has upside from there to be a major minutes backup on this team, even as the roster improves. He could be a Tony Battie type. Something like that is his upside I would think.


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No. He leads the team in per 36 scoring and he has always posted solid numbers in that regard. He is a good finisher. Adding a 3-point shot is only going to help.

The issue is that he is a big that can't defend. He has decent mobility, but his lateral quickness sucks and he doesn't take up space. He tries to make up for that by playing very physically when he should be moving his feet instead. He's just too ineffectual defensively and commits too many fouls to give you reliable minutes.

Aside from the defensive fouls, he commits an absurd number of illegal screens. He seems to do something boneheaded every 4 minutes or so, which is entirely too often. It's countered somewhat by his ability to induce boneheaded plays from the opposition. You just can't give up free points or throw away offensive possessions as frequently as he does and be a good basketball player.

On and off really. On a team that has been soft for a decade now, it is always nice to have such a physical player (and annoying to play against). There is no doubt that his emotion also causes him to make some silly mistakes out there. He's decently sized but getting even stronger should be his goal as it will only make his physicality that much more effective. He's never going to have elite mobility so he should just concentrate on getting stronger and playing C full time.

Mo plays with an edge. And that’s what he is good at. Lol

How I wish Mo Wagner’s toughness and edge is transferrable to Bamba. Haha

Mo is one hell of an annoying player. Hate his guts.