Orlando Magic: What should they do with Nikola Vucevic?
By Luke Duffy
2. Start him full-time again
Although the drawbacks to starting Vucevic again when he returns are clear, there is a key reason why it should be considered.
Suppose no team shows interest in him during the summer. What do the Magic do then? They’ll have him for another season potentially, and if they want to be better would have to use him.
For all his defensive limitations, when used correctly and with the right teammates around him, Vucevic can make a lot of teams better.
He would continue to do so for the Magic, and it would be interesting pairing him with a rookie point guard like Trae Young to see what would happen.
Again, all signs point to moving Vucevic, but what if the Magic’s asking price is too high? He’s worth more than just a second-rounder, for example. If he can walk in the summer of 2019 though, teams aren’t going to be willing to part with much more, which is why he may ultimately end up stuck with this team.
The time to move him truly was before this trade deadline, but it just wasn’t possible. If the Magic have missed the boat and are stuck with him, better to use him properly than not at all.