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NBA Trade Deadline: Every Team’s Most Untouchable Asset

By Maxwell Ogden

Nov 30, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) and forward Blake Griffin (32) during an NBA game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 30, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) and forward Blake Griffin (32) during an NBA game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 8, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) and guard Evan Fournier (10) react after a basket against the Atlanta Hawks during overtime at Philips Arena. The Magic defeated the Hawks 117-110 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 8, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) and guard Evan Fournier (10) react after a basket against the Atlanta Hawks during overtime at Philips Arena. The Magic defeated the Hawks 117-110 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

Orlando Magic: Nikola Vucevic

The Orlando Magic have built a roster that’s overwhelmed by promising young players. That experiment was thrown for a loop when Rob Hennigan traded Tobias Harris, regarded by some as a rising star, for Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova—two players who currently fail to qualify as such.

If there’s one player on the roster who shouldn’t be touched without the return of a superstar, it’s center Nikola Vucevic.

Vucevic clearly isn’t the player who’s going to lead the Magic out of the depths of despair. What he’s more than capable of being, however, is the versatile and productive big man who perfectly complements a potential perimeter star.

It’s unclear whether or not that player is currently on the roster, but Vucevic is, and he shouldn’t be dealt.

Vucevic is the perfect secondary star under the current climate of the NBA. Perimeter players are the featured players on championship contenders, but those players generally need a big man who can have a consistent and star-caliber impact.

In Vucevic’s case, his value is simple and invaluable: he can flirt with 20 points and post a double-double on a nightly basis. Not many provide that.

Next: Philadelphia 76ers