The Orlando Magic have some difficult decisions to make with the NBA trade deadline quickly approaching. They have struggled with injuries throughout the season, torpedoing any chance they had to make a run a the postseason in the Eastern Conference. That has led to trade rumors surrounding a lot of players, including Nikola Vucevic.
Given the current state of the roster and the team’s performance this season, many would assume they will be sellers at the deadline. Aaron Gordon has been the name heard most on rumor mills, but teams looking to swing a huge trade have their eyes on Vucevic.
Thus far, the Magic have said they have no interest in moving their All-Star, which makes sense. Vucevic is having arguably the best season of his career, leading the team in scoring and rebounding at 25 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. He is chipping in 3.7 assists and 1.0 steals as well, as he has turned into a premier floor-spacing big man in the NBA.
Trading away someone of that caliber would be a tough pill to swallow. So, it should come as no surprise that the Magic would have to truly be blown away to part ways with their best player. Just how much would it cost to pry Vucevic away from O-Town?
“They’d have to get a motherload for him,” another league source with knowledge of the situation said. Orlando would likely require a starting player and multiple first-round picks as a baseline for any Vucevic haul, sources said.
“It would have to be to a point where [a team] offers what someone hasn’t yet been willing to offer,” another Western Conference executive added.
As pointed out, the Jrue Holiday swap is a solid baseline for Nikola Vucevic, as they are similar in age and credentials. New Orleans landed Steven Adams, Eric Bledsoe, two future first-round picks, and the right to swap two future first-round draft picks.
If a team came close to offering something like that, Orlando would have to think long and hard about pulling the trigger. Vucevic will be 31 when the 2021-22 season begins and his value will probably never be higher than it is now.
The Magic won’t actively seek out trades for their All-Star big man, but should a team buck up and pay a premium price, it will be hard for them to turn down the trade.
