Nikola Vucevic’s free agency will come this summer. It is still a long way off. But Vucevic answered at least one question on what might happen in July.
Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic skated somewhat under the radar at the trade deadline. He was the player everyone wanted and thought was attainable, but Anthony Davis was sucking up all the oxygen. No one was talking much about him.
The Magic at the trade deadline were on the outskirts of the Playoff race and Nikola Vucevic was already named an All-Star. It felt touch and go about whether the Magic would pull the trigger and move on or keep Vucevic and try to make a Playoff push.
In the short-term, the Magic absolutely made the right choice. The team won its final five games before the All-Star Break and pulled to within one-half game of the final Playoff spot.
Vucevic arrived in Charlotte for the NBA All-Star Game as the Magic’s lone representative, a banner he was happy and proud to carry. The question coming out of this season — no matter what happens — is for how long he will do so.
There is no escaping the reality Vucevic will be a free agent this summer. His place in the Magic’s long-term plans are uncertain. But his importance to this current team and their Playoff hopes is also vital. And so the Magic are stuck trying to figure out just how much he is worth and just how much they are willing to spend to keep him.
Vucevic has a say in the matter too. He is an All-Star for the first time now and playing the best basketball of his career — 20.5 points per game, 12.1 rebounds per game and 55.5 percent effective field goal percentage — should be able to draw a hefty price tag.
No one has asked Vucevic much about free agency. When Kristine Leahy finally did on her show Fair Game at the All-Star Break, Vucevic played it pretty coy, not committing one way or the other.
Below is the first part of their interview. You can watch the whole interview on FOX Sports Go:
"“We’ll see when it happens,” Vucevic said on where he would like to be. “It’s a long time from now. We’ll see. I’ve been in Orlando for a long time. Everybody knows I like Orlando a lot and have huge relationships there. But at the same time, it is a mutual thing. It has to work for me and for them. We’ll see when the time comes.”"
Vucevic was commenting on the heels of being asked about his constant involvement in trade rumors, including this year.
He said when he first entered the league, the trade deadline became a bit of a distraction for him. But as he got older and as he was constantly mentioned in trade rumors seemingly everywhere in the league, he learned to ignore it.
The last thing he or his team needed was a distraction. Especially now that the team is involved in the Playoff chase.
But Vucevic does have at least some thought about his free-agent future. He said he wants to go somewhere he can win and still have an effect on winning. The contract itself will matter for him too.
Orlando certainly seems like a place he is comfortable with and feels he can contribute and win. But he was certainly noncommittal about the whole thing.
That was about all he would reveal right now.
The Magic will have his Bird Rights and can go over the salary cap to retain him. But he will absolutely have some suitors and will almost certainly receive more than the $12.8 million he is getting this year in the final year of his contract.
As several teams made moves at the trade deadline, it felt like there was some jockeying for this upcoming free agent class. It is a doozy that will feature Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson among many others. Vucevic will likely be one of the players in that second wave of free agents.
There are already at least a few rumors that the Dallas Mavericks will chase after Vucevic this summer. Although, Marc Stein of The New York Times said in his latest newsletter that the Mavericks will chase after some bigger fish and their interest in Vucevic is likely overstated.
"And what I have heard is that the Mavericks’ interest in Vucevic has been overstated. I don’t get the sense that they plan to go after him. Improving the team’s overall athleticism and foot speed, in addition to the very pressing need for more shooting, have been two of Dallas’ recent priorities."
It is still unclear what Vucevic’s market is in the end. It is unclear how much he will make, how much the Magic are willing to spend to keep him and which teams will chase him.
Free agency is still a long way away though. Orlando has 23 games and a half-game to make up to get to the Playoffs. That is the primary goal.
Vucevic has clearly thought about his impending free agency, but not too far beyond that. The focus is on this year and pushing for a Playoff berth.