%20%20--%3E%0A%3Csvg%20version%3D%221.1%22%20id%3D%22Layer_1%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20xmlns%3Axlink%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F1999%2Fxlink%22%20x%3D%220px%22%20y%3D%220px%22%0A%09%20width%3D%2239px%22%20height%3D%2240px%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%2039%2040%22%20enable-background%3D%22new%200%200%2039%2040%22%20xml%3Aspace%3D%22preserve%22%3E%0A%3Cpath%20fill%3D%22%23FFFFFF%22%20d%3D%22M38.5%2C7H28.2v26h10.3V7z%22%2F%3E%0A%3Cpath%20fill-rule%3D%22evenodd%22%20clip-rule%3D%22evenodd%22%20fill%3D%22%23FFFFFF%22%20d%3D%22M26.1%2C25.5c0%2C5.8-4.1%2C7.5-12.9%2C7.5C3.9%2C33%2C0%2C31.2%2C0%2C25.2v-1.1h11.6%0A%09v2.4c0%2C0.7%2C0.1%2C1.4%2C1.2%2C1.4c1%2C0%2C1.2-0.4%2C1.2-1.3v-0.9c0-1.6-0.9-1.6-3.5-2.2C2.2%2C21.7%2C0%2C19.7%2C0%2C15.3v-0.9C0%2C9.3%2C5.5%2C7%2C12.9%2C7%0A%09c10.2%2C0%2C12.8%2C2.6%2C12.8%2C7.4v1.8h-11v-2.9c0-0.6-0.4-1.1-1.2-1.1c-0.6%2C0-1.2%2C0.4-1.2%2C1.1v0.9c0%2C1.5%2C0.9%2C2%2C3.3%2C2.5%0A%09c8%2C1.6%2C10.5%2C3.3%2C10.5%2C7.5V25.5z%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A)
Magic Star Franz Wagner Sidelined Indefinitely With Lingering Left Ankle Sprain
In this story:
A difficult season for the Magic continued Wednesday, as young Orlando star Franz Wagner is sidelined indefinitely with a left ankle high sprain that has lingered for months.
INJURY UPDATE:@OrlandoMagic forward Franz Wagner to be sidelined due to continued high ankle sprain rehabilitation pic.twitter.com/tnZuP896lG
— Orlando Magic PR (@Magic_PR) February 18, 2026
Wagner suffered the injury initially on Dec. 7. He has played in only four games since—two of the Magic’s international showcases (one in his home country of Germany) and two more just before the All-Star break. He missed 16 games after going down against the Knicks in late 2025 and was forced to miss nine of Orlando’s last 11 games heading into All-Star weekend.
On the year the 24-year-old Wagner is averaging 21.3 points per game on 47.9% shooting from the floor. The Magic hold seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 28–25 record exiting the All-Star break.
Franz Wagner’s latest injury update continues rough trend for Magic this season
The Magic have been one of the NBA’s most disappointing teams this season. They seemed to have the bones of a perennial postseason contender with Paolo Banchero and Wagner as franchise cornerstones. The front office clearly believed they were close to true contention, as signaled by Orlando’s decision to trade four first-round picks for Desmond Bane. But the team started off the year poorly and haven’t really recovered, struggling to stay above .500 in a weaker Eastern Conference compared to pervious years.
While there’s plenty of tangible blame to go around, injuries have played a big part. Wagner, as noted above, has been largely out of the lineup for over two months and counting. His co-star, Banchero, has missed 10 games. Key rotation players like Jalen Suggs and Goga Bitadze have missed double-digit games as well.
Each year NBA teams have their season trajectory completely altered thanks to the injury bug. The Magic are such a team this year, a painful unfolding of events after their two young stars struggled to stay healthy last year, too.
More NBA on Sports Illustrated
Listen to SI’s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.
Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.
Follow liam_mckeone