Darius Garland has been linked to the Orlando Magic in recent days as everyone tries to predict the fallout from the Cleveland Cavaliers' early exit from the NBA Playoffs. While the Cavs will and should consider a trade for guard Jalen Suggs, they should also be asking about a different player on the Magic: Franz Wagner.
We continue our deep dive into Darius Garland's trade market with a look at Franz Wagner. We already went into detail on a potential trade for Jalen Suggs, both why it makes sense on a conceptual level and one specific 3-team trade idea to help the Cavs get less expensive and address multiple areas of need.
Suggs and Franz Wagner both entered the NBA in the 2021 NBA Draft. After Evan Mobley went third overall, the Magic used their own first-round pick on Suggs at No. 5, and then also had the No. 8 pick from the Chicago Bulls from the Nikola Vucevic trade. They used that pick on Michigan forward Franz Wagner.
Wagner is 6'10" with an even longer wingspan, boasting excellent size to play either forward position. He has become an international star with the German national team and then translated that to the NBA this past season. Wagner averaged 24.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists as a do-it-all forward and likely would have made his first All-Star Game if he hadn't suffered an oblique injury that knocked him out of the lineup in the middle of the season.
The Magic certainly view Wagner as a foundation player and aren't looking to shop him, but his skillset is somewhat duplicative with fellow star forward Paolo Banchero. It is not out of the question that Orlando would be open to a trade if they were getting back a true blue-chip player. They may very well view Garland as just such a player.
Trading Garland for Wagner makes a lot of sense
The Cavaliers had the league's best offense this past season, but they went into the playoffs at a serious size disadvantage. The modern NBA is about size and skill, and the Cavaliers only have one player with both of those at an elite level in Evan Mobley. They tried to match up with the best teams in the league with two small guards, and that -- not Garland's toe injury -- is why they might be ready to make a move.
Trading the six-foot Garland for the 6'10" Wagner is a massive improvement in the size department, and Wagner is bursting with skill. He has a great rhythm to his game, sees the court really well, and is comfortable with the ball in his hands or as an off-ball cutter.
While not necessarily seen as an elite defender, Wagner has played significant minutes on elite defenses the last two seasons. He thrives in a strong defensive ecosystem, something he would have playing alongside Evan Mobley and Max Strus. Together, he and Mobley would form a truly scary two-way pairing as the co-stars for Donovan Mitchell.
Now for the downside: Wagner cannot shoot. It's not that his shot looks particularly broken, nor that he is afraid to take it, but it doesn't go in. He averaged 5.9 attempts from deep last season but hit only 29.5 percent of them. That wasn't an outlier, either; he is a career 32.2 percent shooter.
Is that something to do with the ecosystem that he plays in, where he has to generate shots for himself? Perhaps, but Wagner was equally bad at pull-up 3s and catch-and-shoot 3s. His free-throw percentage was 87.1 percent, however, suggesting he has touch as a shooter. Can he improve significantly?
If he can, everything else falls into place. Wagner can play at the 3 but thrive at the 4, and a long-term pairing of Mobley and Wagner on the back line would allow for speed and shooting at the other three positions. A 5-man lineup of Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, De'Andre Hunter, Wagner and Mobley would be devastating next season and be somewhat more balanced than the same lineup with Garland at the 1.
Wagner is a future All-NBA player. His skillset is special, his growth trajectory is steep, and there are real reasons to believe he can become a decent shooter. Making this trade likely means a subsequent trade for Jarrett Allen has to be made, but he brings a lot of positives that make it more palatable to move on from Darius Garland -- who, to be clear, is already an elite offensive player.
There are more details that need to be worked out, but this is a deal the Cavaliers should push for -- and see if the Magic come to the table.
Grade: A