For more than 24 hours, Orlando Magic fans everywhere were holding their breath.
It was hard not to think the worst as Franz Wagner fell to the floor awkwardly after failing to complete a lob from Anthony Black. Wagner's left knee got trapped beneath him, and it seemed like the worst was possible.
The official diagnosis then allows everyone to breathe easier.
Wagner will miss some time. But he avoided a major injury. He will return -- likely before the Magic go to Berlin in six weeks -- and it should not derail the Magic and their Playoff hopes.
The team announced that, following an MRI, Wagner had been diagnosed with a high ankle sprain in his left leg. His return will be dependent on how he responds to treatment.
An MRI conducted Monday showed that forward Franz Wagner suffered a left high ankle sprain. He sustained the injury during the first quarter of Sunday afternoon’s game at New York.
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) December 8, 2025
His return will depend on how he responds to treatment. pic.twitter.com/3hiiVLDrQ4
Shams Charania of ESPN reports the MRI showed no structural damage to his left leg. The typical recovery time for a high ankle sprain is 2-4 weeks.
That is certainly the biggest point of relief. Wagner should not miss significant time, even if the Magic do not see him until early January. They can fill in while missing a starter -- after all, they just went 7-3 when Paolo Banchero missed 10 games with a strained left groin the past three weeks.
Wagner is as important as any player on the roster.
He is leading the team in scoring with 22.7 points per game while shooting 49.0 percent from the floor and a massively improved 36.0 percent from three. In the 10 games Banchero missed, Wagner increased his scoring to 23.6 points per game on 49.4 percent shooting and 32.4 percent from three.
Wagner has always been someone who can fit in. He has found ways to score, whether that is playing in the starring role or playing off others. He has been the driving force for the Magic once again.
But the reason you acquire a player like Desmond Bane and value depth is so you can fill in and replace players, even key players like Franz Wagner or Paolo Banchero.
The Magic just finished tearing through the league and finding their offensive groove with Banchero out. They will need others to step up like Anthony Black, Desmond Bane and so many others did for the last three weeks.
The good news is the next month is fairly manageable for Orlando.
The team plays its NBA Cup games this week -- Tuesday in the quarterfinal against the Miami Heat and then in the semifinal or regular season against the New York Knicks or Toronto Raptors.
After the Cup games, the team goes out West to face the Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers. They then return home after Christmas to a relatively manageable schedule.
In the 10 games after the Magic return from the West Coast trip, the Magic play only three games against teams with records better than .500. The Orlando Magic are currently 6-1 against teams with records worse than .500, and only more than the Sacramento Kings at six.
Orlando should pick up wins and gain ground. The team should also get Moe Wagner and, now, Franz Wagner back from injury during that run.
Four weeks would be in time for a two-game trip to face the Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards in early January -- and roughly two weeks before the team heads to Berlin to face the Memphis Grizzlies, two games that are surely very important for both Wagners to play in.
If there was a time to miss significant time, the Magic have hit a pocket in the schedule to do so.
But that is the vibe of the day.
Magic fans can talk realistically about pinpointing where Franz Wagner can return, rather than hoping to see him months in advance. This is not as big an injury as the torn oblique he suffered almost exactly one year ago, which caused him to miss 20 games.
Wagner is looking more realistically at a 12-15-game absence. That is something the team can manage. Orlando has the talent to keep winning and climbing the standings.
To be sure, just like when Banchero was out, the Magic are at their best when they have all their players together. They cannot accomplish what they want to do in the spring without both of those players. The Magic will be missing a piece of themselves with Wagner out for the next month or so.
But it will only be that long. It does not appear Wagner's injury will threaten the Playoff run or even the second half of the season. It may not even fully threaten his All-Star bid.
That is all a massive relief for the team, the player and the fans. The wait for Wagner to return should not be particularly long.