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NBA: Teams That Should Trade For Nikola Vucevic

By Maxwell Ogden

Apr 1, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Milwaukee won 113-110. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 1, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Milwaukee won 113-110. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Orlando Magic have been as active as any team in the NBA during the 2016 period of free agency. That’s bad news for starting center Nikola Vucevic.

Apr 1, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Milwaukee won 113-110. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 1, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Milwaukee won 113-110. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /

The Orlando Magic have made one thing perfectly clear during the summer of 2016: the time to win is now. Orlando parted ways with head coach Scott Skiles, hired Frank Vogel, and made a number of key roster decisions that will forever alter its trajectory.

Many players will benefit from these decisions, but there’s one star-caliber contributor who won’t: Nikola Vucevic.

The Magic seemed to make the perfect move to support Vucevic when general manager Rob Hennigan traded Victor Oladipo for Serge Ibaka. Ibaka is the type of dominant rim protector who can cover up for Vucevic’s occasional defensive lapses.

Unfortunately, the Magic all but sealed Vucevic’s fate by signing free agent center Bismack Biyombo.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the deal will be worth $72 million.

Even under the rising salary cap, teams aren’t paying $18 million per season to a backup center.

Vucevic is coming off of a 2015-16 campaign during which he averaged 18.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.7 offensive rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 31.3 minutes per game. He shot 51.0 percent from the field and 75.3 percent from the free throw line.

Vucevic also made 226 midrange jump shots on 46.0 percent shooting in 2015-16—and yes, that’s downright elite.

Vucevic is all but certain to have a vast number of teams bidding to acquire his services. He’ll turn 26 years old in October, and is entering the second season of a four-year deal worth $53 million—chump change by today’s standards.

The question is, which teams should trade for Vucevic?

Next: Completing The Triumvirate