Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner may have rushed back from injury, but he does not regret it.
Now that the New York Knicks have become the 2025-26 NBA Champions, the offseason is going into full effect for all 30 NBA teams.
For the Orlando Magic, the offseason began in the early days of May after they fell in seven games to the Detroit Pistons. The Magic held a decisive 3-1 lead in the series, but ended up squandering it, and their loss can largely be attributed to the calf strain Franz Wagner suffered in Game 4 that caused him to miss the rest of the series.
The calf strain Wagner suffered was the proverbial nail in the coffin in a campaign that saw him injured frequently and limited him to just 34 regular season games, the lowest mark of his five-year career. After suffering a high ankle sprain against the Knicks on Dec. 7, Wagner came back on Jan. 15 to face the Memphis Grizzlies in the pair of games between the two teams during a trip to Europe.
The first game was in Berlin, which is the hometown of Wagner and his brother, Moe, and served as a significant contest, but he realized that maybe he should not have participated in it.
In a recent appearance with HoopsHype, Wagner provided his thoughts on the situation.
"It was very challenging," Wagner said. "At the end of the day, if we're not healthy as athletes, we can't do our jobs, so that's the most important thing. And so there's always that pressure that you need to be out there and perform and help the team out. So not being able to do that and not seeing the results in rehab, too, when you're going really hard, it was really frustrating for me.
"And basically, trying to rehab the same injury three times in a year was tough for me, always having the same kind of setback feeling," he added. "The way it went, I probably shouldn't have played."
For Wagner, the decision to play in Germany was not a regrettable decision, even now with the benefit of hindsight.
"Everybody understands the situation that it was, and honestly, I hate to say it, but I don't really regret the decision to play," Wagner said. "It was that special of a moment for me, and for a lot of other people who were there.
"So, it just happened to be a bad moment in time, probably, but maybe some people hate me for this, but it was a really special moment for my family and me," he added. "So, I was happy that I got the chance to at least be out there."
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