NBA Trade News: Orlando Magic to Extend Nikola Vucevic’s Contract
The Orlando Magic are planning to extend the contract of third-year big man Nikola Vucevic, a reliable league source disclosed on Thursday.
According to NBA Trade Rumors, the Magic are very much interested to keep Vucevic for more seasons after coming up with a solid performance in his second year in the league and first season with Orlando in the 2012-2013 season.
Despite having a quiet season, Vucevic is still posting pretty good numbers by averaging 13.0 points and 11.0 rebounds with a 17.8 PER after missing some games due to a concussion.
"Center Nikola Vucevic hasn't shown the rapid growth this season that he displayed in a breakout campaign last year, but Magic GM Rob Hennigan nonetheless remains high on the 23-year-old," according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter links).
The 6-foot-10 Vucevic has expressed his intention to be part of the Magic's long-term future in Orlando. If he agrees to the term, he will be eligible to ink a rookie scale extension deal this coming summer.
"I'd love to be in Orlando for a while," Vucevic said. "I like the direction of the team. We have a lot of good stuff going forward. I'd love to be a part of it," said Vucevic.
According to basketball followers, the Magic should sign Vucevic right away because double-double big men have been rare in the league for the past years.
"A 6'10″ consistent double-double producer is a valuable commodity in the NBA, but it'd be a stretch for him to command the max. He could fit into the $12-13M range that Al Horford and Joakim Noah make on their deals, though that's just my speculation," said NBA Trade Rumors.
Vucevic forms part of the Magic's young core of players such as rookie guards Victor Oladipo and Andrew Nicholson.