NBA Trade Rumors: Orlando Magic not interested in moving Nikola Vucevic this season
Nikola Vucevic has played a major role in the Orlando Magic's recent uptick in fortunes and NBA trade rumors suggest that he's unlikely to be moved this season. Steve Clifford's men have won three matchups on the trot and find themselves just 1.5 games behind the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Orlando Magic have had a patchy season but Nikola Vucevic has been fairly consistent on both ends of the court. With many teams in need of a quality center this season, he was expected to become a feature in trade rumors sooner or later. But as per The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor, none of that matters since the Magic have no intentions of shipping their star player. O'Connor wrote:
"Executives around the league say Orlando has shown no interest in moving Vucevic. He’s a favorite of Steve Clifford’s coaching staff and a centerpiece of their offense; though the 30-year-old may not be part of their long-term future, he’s an important piece to facilitate development of their young players."
Nikola Vucevic is owed $26 million this year and an additional $46 million in the next two seasons. That seems like a valuable deal for a player who's currently averaging 24.1 points and 11.7 rebounds per game this season.
NBA Trade Rumors: Should Orlando Magic consider offers for Nikola Vucevic
Nikola Vucevic is valuable to the Orlando Magic not just for the production that he offers but also as a leader for several young guns on this team.
Jonathan Isaac is looked upon as the Magic's long-term solution at power forward and he's learned a lot alongside Vucevic. The latter has also been a lob threat and pick-and-roll option for Markelle Fultz to work with. Both these youngsters are out for the season but they can still expand their game by playing with the Swiss center.
Having said that, Nikola Vucevic is 30 years old and you simply cannot see him being a vital cog for the Orlando Magic beyond his current contract. So in case someone is willing to break the bank for Vucevic, the Magic front office should at least listen to the offer.
Also read: NBA Trade Rumors - Orlando Magic want to keep hold of young core, may move Evan Fournier