Nikola Vucevic has made it clear he hopes to be in an Orlando Magic uniform for a long time. Despite his extension, his long-term future remains unclear.
Nikola Vucevic told Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel that he hopes to be with the Magic for the rest of his career.
"Yeah, I’m here for the long haul. I hope to stay here my whole career,” he told me. “I love it here. I really love the city. I’ve improved here a lot as a player. I’d love to stay for a long, long time and make something special happen.“If it takes years, it takes years … I ain’t going anywhere."
Knowing what the franchise had been through with its last two franchise centers, that is wlecome news to hear. And with the Magic and Vucevic prepared to enter the first year of a four-year, $52 million extension that kicks in next season, it makes sense the relationship is very rosy.
Unlike O’Neal and Howard, however, Vucevic does not seem to be a franchise-changing talent. Although he is very good.
Vucevic has been a double double machine since arriving in Orlando three years ago. Opportunity helped him gain confidence and he has delivered for the Magic in the first three years of this rebuild. There have been a lot of losses in that time and Vucevic’s game has begun to get picked apart — particularly on defense.
For the short-term, Vucevic is part of the team’s future. The Magic made a significant investment in Vucevic and, even with the prospect of getting a bigger pay day by hitting restricted free agency this summer, Vucevic wanted to be a member of the Magic and agreed to an extension rather than the potential of making more.
Vucevic will make somewhere between $12-13 million for the next four years through this extension, firmly cementing himself in the Magic’s lineup.
Pippen Ain't Easy
For now, it seems the Magic and Vucevic are a good match.
Of course, things change.
The Magic have the fifth best lottery odds for the upcoming draft (it seems all but set at this point) and the top two players in this year’s draft are post players — Jahlil Okafor from Duke and Karl-Anthony Towns from Kentucky. In that fifth pick range, the Magic could easily draft a stretch-4 player in Kristaps Porzingis or go with a rim protector like Willie Cauley-Stein.
It is somewhat possible, the Magic in taking the best player available will grab another center and create a very awkward situation. Again, with the salary cap preparing to increase, Vucevic could be a bargain on his current extension. Any player on the Magic roster could face this situation. The Magic are still collecting assets and discovering their core.
All this is to say, Vucevic is both here to stay and a very valuable bargaining chip for the Magic’s future. He has largely created that value for himself. And who is to say what will happen this summer or a little ways down the road?
For Vucevic to cement himself in the Magic lineup, he has to continue to improve as a defender and continue his mastery of the glass. Vucevic grabs 39.6 percent of his contested rebounds (a rebound grabbed when an opponent is 3.5 feet within the rebounder) after grabbing 35.5 percent of such opportunities last year. It would suggest that Vucevic has played more physically this season.
That is a good sign for the Magic as they prepare to invest a ton more money.
But as Rob Hennigan says, the team will not leave any stone unturned and will explore every option. That would include the first player the team has heavily invested in since the Magic’s rebuild in Vucevic.
For now, though, both team and player are ready to commit long term to each other as important to this rebuild. It is hard to argue with them. If anything needs to be adjusted, that can come further down the road.
Vucevic has a clear desire to be in Orlando long term. What still may not be clear is whether Vucevic is truly part of the Magic’s long term plans or merely a moving part in them.