KEY POINTS

  • Nikola Vucevic will likely finish the current NBA season with the Orlando Magic
  • Vucevic could fit in with the Boston Celtics or Portland Trail Blazers
  • Vucevic will likely garner interest after the regular season

The Orlando Magic went from a promising NBA team during the 2019-20 NBA season to a disappointing one this year.

Their campaign has not exactly been impressive, and there is a chance they could deal away some players to signal a fresh start.

Aaron Gordon is a name that has been floated as of late. However, he may not be the only one if the Magic will get a good offer for one of their stars--Nikola Vucevic.

Perhaps a rare time when the name of the Montenegrin player has been mentioned, Orlando may consider a trade if it meets their standards.

According to The Athletic, that may only suffice if the trade is similar to what the New Orleans Pelicans got for Jrue Holiday.

For those who may not know, Holiday was sent to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for two first-round picks, two pick swaps, Eric Bledsoe and Steven Adams in the offseason. That is a lot to digest, and it appears to be a demand that no team would be willing to bit for now.

Vucevic is silently performing well for the Magic this season. In 42 games, he has averaged a career-best of 24.6 points, 11.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 34.1 minutes of action.

He is only in the second year of a four-year deal worth $100 million. After this season, he is still owed $46 million.

There is no question that the 30-year-old center would be a good fit for teams in need of a solid center. But seeing Vucevic move by the March 25 NBA deadline does not look promising.

Moving to the Boston Celtics could make sense, a team that has a traded player exception in order to absorb Vucevic. However, questions are up in the air if team president Danny Ainge is willing to part with some of his chips in the draft lottery.

Nikola Vucevic
Nikola Vucevic of the Orlando Magic. Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Orlando Magic backs Kyle Lowry #7 of the Toronto Raptors in the post during Game Three of the first round of the 2019 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at the Amway Center on April 19, 2019 in Orlando, Florida. The Raptors defeated the Magic 98 to 93. Getty Images/Don Juan Moore

If not the Celtics, the Portland Trail Blazers could be the more reasonable destination. However, there is no telling if they have the assets that the Magic would be interested in to pull off the trade.

So unless an NBA team pitches a tempting offer, Vucevic is likely to stick it out in Orlando for now. The scenario could change by the offseason if NBA teams dangle the right assets to the Magic.

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