Franz Wagner recently revealed that his brother, Moe, is keeping close tabs on EuroBasket 2025. In fact, as Franz highlighted, “he’s watching all the games for sure. And obviously, we talk to him a bunch, so I know that he would love to be here”. The Orlando Magic star has left a major mark on Team Germany, having represented the national squad in the 2014 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship Division B in Bulgaria, the 2017 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Unfortunately, despite Germany making it to the finals and set to face off against Turkiye, the team will still miss out on Moe Wagner.

What is the reason for his absence? Let us find out.

Reasons for Mo Wagner’s Absence in EuroBasket 2025

Moe Wagner sustained a season-ending injury back in December 2024, during a matchup against the Miami Heat. He only played for a minute and a half in the matchup before exiting with 2:33 left in the first quarter. The ailment was later diagnosed as a torn anterior cruciate ligament, or torn ACL. Wagner reportedly got reparative surgery in January. His free time was spent rehabbing the injury in the team’s practice facility. While he did return to Orlando’s bench area for home games by February, he still wasn’t in the condition to play.

The absence from the court took its toll on the player. As he explained back in February, “It’s terrible to go through surgery, especially if you want to play and you don’t get to. But that’s part of it. You’ve got to lean on your support system and you’ve got to kind of take it day by day, don’t overthink it”. He also added that “Obviously, it’s emotional and it means a lot to be able to play, and now [it] even means a lot more.”

By January, it was made clear that Moe Wagner won’t be playing for EuroBasket 2025. No official statements were made by the German Federation on the Orlando Magic’s star’s absence. However, the center/power forward put out a statement, saying that “I think you can put one and one together that I won’t be wearing the German jersey this year, to put it bluntly, simply because it doesn’t make sense”.

Of course, missing out on the tournament would have stung, especially considering the fact that the same had occurred in the buildup to EuroBasket 2022. Mo had called playing for the national team alongside his brother something he had “dreamt of for a long time.” Still, he will take respite from the fact that in his absence, Germany ha more than fulfilled expectations.

Impact of Mo Wagner’s Absence on Germany’s Team

As CBS Sports highlighted, Germany had several reliable bigs like Daniel Theis, Andreas Obst, and Johannes Voigtmann on their roster. All of them were claimed to be good enough to cover for Wagner, since all of them can space the floor. ‘BallinEurope’ reporter Emmett Ryan recently claimed that “Had Moe Wagner been healthy, Kratzer would likely not be here and Germany would use a legitimate 12 deep rotation”. For Ryan, the fact that they could even do something like that “points to just how successful and well-rounded the German development system has been”.

Dennis Schroder was somewhat of an early piece in the project; Franz Wagner and most of his contemporaries represent the next step.

In the absence of Moe Wagner, the power forward positions were filled by Oscar Da Silva, Daniel Theis, and Johannes Thiemann. Daniel Theis established himself as the 47th highest average scorer of the EuroBasket 2025 series till now, and the 3rd highest after Franz Wagner (ranked 7th overall) and Dennis Schroder (ranked 8th overall). Over the course of 8 games, Theis averaged 11.1 points, along with 6.6 rebounds, through 4.3/5.5 (77.3%) field goals, 0.4/1.0 (37.5%) 3-pointers, and 1.5/1.9 (80.0%) free throws. He has managed to cover well in Wagner’s absence, with his elder brother and Schroder mostly carrying the bulk of the offense.

Mo Wagner’s Focus on NBA Career With Magic

Mo Wagner re-signed with the Orlando Magic back in July. He agreed to a one-year, $5 million deal after previously declining his $11 million team option. As Sports Illustrated’s Andrew Cherico highlighted, Wagner “is entering the prime of his career”, and that “taking a pay cut further proves loyalty and increases the chances of the Magic competing for a title”.

“Let’s be clear: This is a prove-it contract for Moe. If he can bounce back from ACL and pick up where he left off, he’s gonna be due a BIG pay day next summer,” ‘The Sixth Man Show’s official X account wrote back in July. According to CBS Sports, back in June, Wagner was then set to miss a good chunk of the 2025-26 season after tearing the ACL in his left knee in December. There has been no additional update on his availability status after that.

By not participating in EuroBasket 2025, the 28-year-old ensured he got additional rest and will be able to focus on the 2025-26 NBA season. Despite that, it still remains to be seen