In the years after Shaquille O’Neal left the Magic, the team searched for someone — anyone — who could play center. From Felton Spencer to Rony Seikaly to Isaac Austin to Andrew Declercq to Shawn Kemp to Patrick Ewing to Kelvin Cato. There was no consistency and no plan other than stop gaps (maybe Seikaly and Austin were “plans” that never came close to fruition).
After losing Dwight Howard (yes, his shadow on the franchise still exists), the Magic were not playing that game and not relying on Andrew Bynum‘s shaky knees or Brook Lopez‘s bothersome foot. They acquired Nikola Vucevic from the 76ers. At that point, he was a little known, little used rookie center. He had some skill and touch around the basket and good passing instincts. But nobody knew quite what he was and why he was a better pick up than Bynum or Lopez, the two other big men in the Magic’s crosshairs that August.
In two years though, Vucevic has become a model of consistency. He has proven to be a solid pick up and a good building block for this young Magic team re-calibrating after that franchise-changing trade.
On Tuesday, according to multiple reports, the Magic cemented a cornerstone of their franchise. For the next five years, at least, the Magic have their center.
According to Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports and Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, the Magic and Vucevic agreed to a four-year contract extension. The amount is currently not pinned down by anyone. Spears has it as a reported $54 million extension. Robbins has it at $53 million. Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY reports it is a $48 million deal with the potential to reach $53 million thanks to incentives.
Nikola Vucevic is the first player to get a significant commitment from the Magic. Photo by Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Vucevic will be paid north of $12 million per year it seems pretty clear. That was about the range many had Vucevic falling in. Comparable players like fellow Montenegrin Nikola Pekovic (five-year, $60 million extension) and Larry Sanders (four-year, $48 million) made similar amounts. Vucevic gets the added benefit of the increased salary cap coming in the next few years thanks to the new TV deal.
The Magic get that benefit too. Orlando likely factored that increase into its decision to retain Vucevic at this price. It likely also considered the fact Vucevic might have hit free agency this summer as the top center on the market, a max contract could not be too far behind. As the Magic learned from 1997 through 2005, centers are hard to come by.
Vucevic has been nothing short of consistent since coming over to the Magic. He has averaged 13.6 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per game. He has been a consistent double double for the team. He has posted an 18.2 PER. He is good at corralling rebounds in his area and adept on offense. He has developed a solid mid-range jumper to complement his post game. He still struggles some on the defensive end and he is not much of a rim protector. But he is still plenty young.
Vucevic was 15th in the league last year with 3.9 contested rebounds per game (a rebound where an opponent is within 3.5 feet of the player). This is clearly a very promising player.
Is he really a franchise cornerstone?
One can argue the Magic were a better team with him on the floor. Significantly better. With Vucevic out of the lineup, the Magic are 5-25 in the last two years. Vucevic’s presence on the floor has made this a better team.
Is Vucevic a game-changing center, the kind that helped the team get tot he Finals in 1995 and 2009? Probably not in the same way. Actually, not even close.
Vucevic is a very good player. A very solid center. The kind of center that makes the position a lock for several years to come. The Magic do not have to worry about center as they continue this retooling. But probably not a transcendental center like the ones the Magic had before.
Orlando’s fortunes are pretty clearly and firmly tied to Vucevic and his continued improvement.
So far in the preseason, Vucevic has played superbly. He has looked more aggressive offensively and has done a good job showing improvement defensively. For preseason, at least. It seems he has continued to get better.
And he will have to continue to get better to live up to the contract extension he just signed.
Vucevic has firmly entrenched himself as part of this team’s future. He is the first pillar to get put firmly in place. The Magic have made a large financial commitment to Vucevic. It may not be as big of one as it is now, even as his salary increases. But Vucevic’s role with the Magic is sure to increase too. He has become part of the team’s future.
Again, he is a pillar for the Magic’s future now. That is what he is being paid to do.