Orlando Magic: 3 players most likely to be traded in 2018-19

1. Nikola Vuecvic

The most likely candidate on this list for literally years now, will 2018-19 finally be the year that the Magic let Nikola Vucevic go? They should for any number of reasons, starting with the aforementioned fact that their frontcourt is full of young and hungry players.

Sure Vucevic would be able to help these players, but this feels like Jonathan Isaac and Mohamed Bamba’s team now. All Vucevic would do is eat up valuable minutes for their young lottery picks, as well as players like Khem Birch.

Ironically, those same minutes that were hard to come by last season have loosened up a little with the departure of Bismack Biyombo to the Hornets. Timofey Mozgov may have come the other way in the deal, but he won’t be playing much, if at all.

So Vucevic has that going for him, as well as the fact that offensively, he is underrated by Magic fans and everybody else alike. Averaging a double-double in four out of the last six seasons, albeit on poor teams, is no mean feat — despite what the “empty stats” heads might say.

Still, the future of Orlando looks brightest when Vucevic is not in the picture. A starting lineup of Gordon, Isaac and Bamba is exciting until choices have to be made about who to build around properly in the future.

Even the sixth man role, once thought of as the perfect place for Vucevic to be, seems like an even more ideal fit for swingman Terrence Ross. Given the Magic’s lack of depth at guard, it is even more important for Ross to anchor the second unit offensively (if he isn’t starting, of course).

New head coach Steve Clifford will preach defense early on, and this is an area where Vucevic isn’t offering much at all. Neither is the fact that he continues to expand his game outside the paint and to the 3-point line, something Isaac and Bamba are doing already.

https://twitter.com/HoopsProvider/status/1005615706380079104

Not only that, but trading Vucevic now makes sense. He had a mini bounce-back season last year, bumping his trade value up some. He may have only played 57 games due to injury (his lowest total since his rookie season), but there was much to like about how he helped the team on certain nights.

There is one more aspect of Nikola Vucevic’s situation that gives him more appeal too. If Fournier is potentially difficult to move because of his deal in a league where cap space is at a premium right now, Vucevic is the opposite of that.

He is entering the final year of his contract and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Other organizations looking to get under the tax or just have more flexibility will be willing to part with some players to get that money off their books.

So despite us being here before, there really is no reason why Vucevic will not be traded at some point before the deadline. After some great memories together, the time has come.