Orlando Magic searching for their Nikola Vucevic again

Trading away a star or franchise cornerstone is never an easy decision, as necessary or right as it might be.

Nikola Vucevic revealed earlier this week to the Chicago Sun-Times that his trade in March was not completely surprising. The team Vucevic had called home for nearly a decade and where he established himself as an All-Star and one of the franchise’s all-time best players was going to do right by him. And the two parties discussed the franchise’s future and where Vucevic might best fit.

When it was time to part ways, it was time to part ways. And the Magic took care of him and themselves in the process — the team is not too upset with Wendell Carter and Franz Wagner at this point.

There is still that gaping hole when a team loses its franchise player. It is something that can be tough to recover from.

Trading away a star can be tough, especially one as beloved as Nikola Vucevic. But the Orlando Magic are indeed starting from scratch and missing the stability a player like Vucevic can provide.

Orlando is indeed starting from scratch. That was more than evident in the Chicago Bulls’ 123-88 demolition of a young and undermanned Orlando Magic team at the Amway Center on Friday.  It is just as evident from how often the Magic have faced blowout defeats and how precious few close games the team has appeared to play through the first quarter of the season.

Even with all the promising young players the Magic have, they are still looking for a tentpole star to build around and still figuring out the talent to move forward. Let alone the depth to get through the rest of this season.

Vucevic returned to Orlando as a player for the first time since that trade. The team he faced was very different from the one he left. His coach who helped elevate him to All-Star status and back-to-back playoff appearances was gone. So too were his long-time teammates on that team, traded on that same fateful day.

It is hard to say he had much connection to anything. Even the jerseys were different as the Magic wore their new City Edition jerseys for the occasion.

The only connection was with the organization and the fans. And both made sure Vucevic knew they appreciated him throughout the evening. That appreciation was returned.

Vucevic scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds, making 7 of 13 shots for the Bulls in his return. It was a fairly quiet return — minus a dunk over Mo Bamba that Bamba definitely blocked but Vucevic still powered through for a basket and a foul.

In a bit of fun, Vucevic sat up on the floor after the foul was called and appeared to look over at the Magic’s bench. The All-Star still letting the young team know how good he was.

Vucevic was playing his second game after missing nearly two weeks after testing positive for COVID. Vucevic is still getting his legs under him. Not to mention still finding his offensive fit in a much more loaded lineup with Zach LaVine playing like an All-Star once again and DeMar DeRozan adding another dimension to the team.

The Bulls ran away for their win thanks to a 16-0 run to open the second quarter and turnovers that just charged up their offense all night long. If anything, the way the Bulls forced turnovers and got out in transition is exactly how the Magic ultimately want to play.

The contrast between the aggression and precision of the two teams in executing their pressure defense is the difference between the Bulls and the Magic right now.

Orlando is still seeking a way to create its identity and build who it wants to be. No to mention still learning how to weather storms and runs without getting too deep into the hole. The Magic showed their youth in every way.

The Magic, in so many ways, are looking for the kind of stability they used to have with Vucevic. They are looking for the calming influence to center themselves when there is chaos all around and to stop runs and calm the team down on both ends.

This is the influence a true veteran and star can have over a team. When the team needs a bucket, they have someone to turn to.

Orlando used Vucevic in this role to get themselves to the playoffs in 2019 and 2020.

Vucevic is not the kind of player who could get the team to .500 by himself or out of the first round. But he was always a stabilizing force. Even when the Magic tried to feature other players, Vucevic was always a consistent force able to get the team an easy bucket if the team could set him up properly.

The Magic just do not have that player.

In Friday’s game, Orlando did a good job setting up Wendell Carter (26 points) most of the night. He had great chemistry with Franz Wagner, who was pressed into ball-handling duties due to the team’s litany of injuries. Wagner (15 points, four assists) was really the only other player to shine throughout the game.

Jalen Suggs, the team’s prized draft pick from last year, is still very much a rookie. His game Friday showed some very bright spots. He scored 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting in one of his most efficient shooting outputs of the season.

But like any young point guard, he turned it over four times. He struggled at times to break down Lonzo Ball or Alex Caruso or the swarming defense that met him at the second level.

Of course, the team’s best player this year in Cole Anthony was sitting on the bench missing his fourth straight game with a sprained ankle. And while Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac are making progress, both are still out recovering from torn ACLs.

Orlando is not playing with a full roster quite yet. And, in any case, the Magic are still figuring out what they have and how they want to build. They are taking their lumps in the meantime.

A player like Vucevic would undoubtedly help a team like this. He is a solid screener, a reliable safety valve and a calming influence on both ends. Then again, he anchored last year’s injury-filled team and the Magic still sank to the bottom of the standings.

That probably influenced the ultimate decision to move on and start new. They owed that to Vucevic to give him a chance to win as much as they needed to refresh and start the slate clean as daunting as that is.

For many fans, the Magic’s rebuild never ended from trading Dwight Howard. Vucevic, always playing in that shadow, was never going to be that kind of player.

But there is still that undeniable hole left in the franchise and the roster with his departure. It may have been a necessary move. It may have been the right move. But Orlando is going to be chasing this ghost until they find that replacement, just as they have chased the ghosts of other great centers who have departed.

Vucevic will forever be thankful to Orlando and the Magic. Just as Magic fans should forever appreciate and be thankful for Vucevic.

But the two have moved on. Vucevic has found a new home. Orlando is still seeking its next star and some stability to begin building again.