NBA Notes: Magic, Franz Wagner, Grizzlies, Cedric Coward, Warriors

Magic

Franz Wagner avoided the worst but will still miss time. An MRI revealed a high left ankle sprain with no structural damage, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports. The Magic expect him to miss two to four weeks.

Wagner went down early in Sunday’s game at Madison Square Garden after an alley-oop attempt led to a hard foul at the rim.

Knicks center Ariel Hukporti hit the pass away and made contact, sending Wagner to the floor clutching his left leg. He was unable to put weight on it and had to be helped off by brother Moritz Wagner and rookie Noah Penda.

The injury comes just as Orlando got Paolo Banchero back from a groin strain. Wagner had been in the midst of his best season, averaging 23.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists on strong efficiency while earning an Eastern Conference Player of the Month nomination.

Grizzlies

Rookie wing Cedric Coward is looking to speed up his development by studying one of the league’s best two-way players. Coward said that he has already reached out — or tried to reach out — to Kawhi Leonard about offseason work, via WMC’s Matt Infield.

“I asked him, like, in the summer, could we get some work in together?” Coward said. “He’s not on social media, so I gotta figure out a way to talk to him.”

Coward has emerged as a bright spot in a difficult Memphis season and is clearly angling to model his game after one of the league’s most respected forwards.

Warriors

Golden State has made a change to its two-way slots. The team officially signed 6-foot-9 wing Malevy Leons and waived rookie forward Alex Toohey, the Warriors announced.

Toohey will miss the season due to a knee injury that requires surgery, and the move opens the door for Leons, who has been productive with the G League’s OKC Blue, averaging 14.8 points and 7.6 rebounds.

Leons appeared in six NBA games with Oklahoma City last season and spent time on both an Exhibit 10 and a standard contract. After going undrafted out of Bradley in 2024, he has carved out a role through strong G League play and defensive versatility.

Toohey, a second-round pick from Australia, signed a two-way deal in September but didn’t log an NBA appearance.