Magic Resign C/F Moritz Wagner - 2 years, $16M with a team option on the 2nd year

[SloNick Russia]

A fine move for team chemistry, Mo played decent ball last season, glad to have him back
JI is the best back up C in the NBA when he plays and he should at the start of the season.
Okeke will be on a contract year, should be fine at back up PF spot.

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[Orlando Dawg]

Yesterday

We have to give Moritz like 8 mil

Over 3 years?

Moritz is the glue that holds this team together.
Whatever it takes.
You don’t let guys like that walk.
He’s the German Bill Lambier

The Magic organization follows my posts and advice.

[Skybox]

Happy to have him. 8 is too much, it must be a TO and end of free agency for us, so give him a bonus, I guess. I’m ok with it. Next move, if any, likely at the TD…unless Lillard project cuts us in somehow.

[RookieStar]

YES!!! MoSwag coming back.

You guys missed the most obvious reason. This is just frontloading for Franz impending superstar contract.

That's right, we won't use the MAX on Franz cuz we are funneling that cash *wink wink* via his brother.

[Howard Mass]

Mo Wagner and Goga Bitadze are more of a two-headed backup center.

My guess is the 2nd year is a team option year. Eventually, Mo Wagner will not be with this team and Franz will. For now, Mo is here as a two-headed backup center.

[KillMonger]

A fine move for team chemistry, Mo played decent ball last season, glad to have him back
JI is the best back up C in the NBA when he plays and he should at the start of the season.
Okeke will be on a contract year, should be fine at back up PF spot.

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JI is a center now? A don't remember him playing any center minutes this past season. Even when he was getting ready in the G league I don't think he was playing center.

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[thelead]

Too much. Westbrook is getting 4 per, Rose got 3… Brother tax I guess

[DrPampiloni]

Guess he can move out of Franz house now.

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Franz lived in a Moritz owned house in Ann Arbor both his U. Michigan years...

[Message Boar]

Overpay (third string bigs should not get much more than the minimum) but at least it's gonna keep the good vibes around the team going.

I'm still holding out hope for one more big move (signing or trade); okay maybe not big, but at least notable in the sense of adding someone else to the rotation.

[basketballRob]

Guess he can move out of Franz house now.

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Franz lived in a Moritz owned house in Ann Arbor both his U. Michigan years...

Franz has a house in Winter Park, Florida, where Moe stays during the basketball season. They've joked about Moe staying with Franz during interviews over the last couple of years.

It's nice to know Moe let Franz stay at his place during college. I think Jett lives in Ann Arbor also.

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[Knightro]

Gotta say…

Paying $8M for Moritz and $11M for Ingles, even if they both end up being just one year deals, doesn’t give me much hope that Weltman and Hammond aren’t going to get absolutely pimp slapped in the upcoming Markelle Fultz/Cole Anthony contract negotiations

[SOUL]

Gotta say…

Paying $8M for Moritz and $11M for Ingles, even if they both end up being just one year deals, doesn’t give me much hope that Weltman and Hammond aren’t going to get absolutely pimp slapped in the upcoming Markelle Fultz/Cole Anthony contract negotiations

Eh, they absolutely could (their deals seem to be great or bad, no in between), and I think they're heavy-handed on a lot, but I think it's disingenuous to compare these two specific examples of reaching cap floor on filling out 2 backup spots versus extensions. There is no real incentive to eke out precise value in the current context versus way more far-reaching implications now. Even the Fultz/Isaac ones from two years ago they knew we would be bad, so hopefully there is more restraint.

There's a reason you often see great deals for contending teams and worse teams overpaying for the services of similar vets - and I think if the teams were flipped with the same GMs, you're not finding Pelinka getting cheap gems for the Hornets.

[RookieStar]

Ingles gary and moe's contract coming off the books next season is something like 30m? Correct me.of im wrong.

But yeah perfect time to get that star after a more battletested Paolo and Franz.

[basketballRob]

Ingles gary and moe's contract coming off the books next season is something like 30m? Correct me.of im wrong.

But yeah perfect time to get that star after a more battletested Paolo and Franz.

I think we could have 60-80m.

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[RookieStar]

Ingles gary and moe's contract coming off the books next season is something like 30m? Correct me.of im wrong.

But yeah perfect time to get that star after a more battletested Paolo and Franz.

I think we could have 60-80m.

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Wut??? Those 3 expiring contracts are worth 60-80m together????

[Optimus_Steel]

Gotta say…

Paying $8M for Moritz and $11M for Ingles, even if they both end up being just one year deals, doesn’t give me much hope that Weltman and Hammond aren’t going to get absolutely pimp slapped in the upcoming Markelle Fultz/Cole Anthony contract negotiations

Think they've done fine in extensions.

[Knightro]

Ingles gary and moe's contract coming off the books next season is something like 30m? Correct me.of im wrong.

But yeah perfect time to get that star after a more battletested Paolo and Franz.

I think we could have 60-80m.

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Wut??? Those 3 expiring contracts are worth 60-80m together????

Fultz, Isaac, Okeke and Anthony are all impending free agents as well.

[Knightro]

Assuming Moritz's 2nd year is a team option, the Magic only have six players with fully guaranteed contracts for 2024-2025 right now.

Banchero: 12.16M
Carter: 11.95M
Suggs: 9.18M
Black: 7.60M
Franz: 7.00M
Howard: 5.27M
TOTAL: 53.16M

The cap is probably going to rise by 10%, so you're talking a cap of roughly $149 to $150M. The Magic will need to spend a LOT next summer.

Unrestricted Free Agents (3): Fultz, Harris, Bitadze
Team Options (2): Ingles, M. Wagner
Restricted Free Agents (2): Anthony, Okeke
Fully Non-Guaranteed Contracts (2): Isaac, Houstan

[Last Guardian]

Given Isaacs health history it’s possible Moritz will be the primary backup to Paolo. Late in the season Mosely went with Goga as backup C even though Mo was available so I don’t expect him to get the backup C spot.

[Knightro]

With the caveat that this is an absolutely tiny and probably irrelevant sample size...

In 41 minutes together last season, the Moritz Wagner PF and Goga Bitadze C two-man combo had a +30.2 NET rating.