Magic provide Franz Wagner injury update after early exit in preseason finale

The Orlando Magic may, once again, be without Franz Wagner.

In the Magic's preseason finale on Friday, Wagner left the game after 19 minutes with right shoulder soreness and did not return. He wasn't the only player to leave with an injury, either, as both Jase Richardson and Noah Penda left with back and hamstring injuries, respectively.

Unfortunately, the Magic will be without Penda for the foreseeable future. They are going to continue to evaluate their star, with Richardson being listed as "day-to-day" ahead of Wednesday's opener, according to the Orlando Sentinel's Jason Beede.

Wagner finished with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting with six rebounds, six assists and one steal. He missed all three of his 3-pointers, but did a good job spraying the rock against a formidable Heat defense, albeit without two of their best defenders.

The 6-foot-10 German wing has had a hard time staying on the floor each of the last two seasons. He missed 22 games with an oblique injury in 2024-25 and was sidelined for 48 games last year with a nagging ankle injury.

How the Magic can replace Franz Wagner:

Orlando's inability to remain healthy has seemingly existed since the beginning of time. Injuries have damaged each of the last two seasons, and this one doesn't appear to be off to the right start.

Assuming Wagner does miss Wednesday's opener, third-year forward Tristan da Silva would be the favorite to enter the starting lineup. da Silva has started in 72 of his 151 games over his first two seasons, averaging 10/5 points and 4.3 rebounds on 43.5/34.7/89.7 shooting splits in those appearances.