Orlando Magic: 3 reasons they should trade Nikola Vucevic

1. A new direction

Vucevic leaving is a scary thought, because right now he is the franchise. If he suddenly disappeared, the Magic would be the worst team in the entire NBA. Even worse than the organization that recently became the worst in pro sports. After a failed rebuild that began almost a decade ago, that is not a place Magic fans want to go back to.

But we also know that, unlike in years gone by, the Magic actually have some young and exciting talent in place. Their countless trips to the lottery may not have brought them a true superstar, but there are enough pieces in place to be a fun and competitive team when fully healthy, even without Vucevic.

Yes, he would be an ideal mentor for these young guys both on and off the court, but we’re trying to make a case for trading him here. Take in the following list of names, and you will quickly see that two years from now, the Magic should be a playoff team even without Vucevic.

Markelle Fultz. Jonathan Isaac. Chuma Okeke. Cole Anthony. Despite both Fultz and Isaac currently rehabbing torn ACLs, that is not a bad place to start. Okeke is only back this year after missing all of his rookie season with an ACL injury of his own, and he has shown some exciting flashes in recent weeks. Anthony plays with a chip on his shoulder, and it is something the Orlando Magic need.

When you consider the organization are going to get another lottery pick in this year’s draft, plus Aaron Gordon is still on the roster, the Magic actually aren’t in a bad place for the medium to long-term. Even if nobody is talking about them, because they rarely do. Now imagine what a potential return for Vucevic could add to that core too.

We’ve seen Vucevic lead the Magic to playoffs twice, and as things stand with him as their best player, they have reached their ceiling. It was fun and enjoyable and made a nice change from all of the losing that came before it. But in order to take it to another level, growth needs to come from the young players within. That would mean the end of the Vucevic era, as great as it has been.