There are plenty of big names to go by this coming 2019 NBA Free Agency, one of which is Nikola Vucevic of the Orlando Magic. And if his 2018-19 NBA season is any indication, a lot of teams will be trying to sign him up this summer.
Curiously, Vucevic steps up at the right time. When the Magic took in Mo Bamba, critics felt that Vucevic was left in a precarious situation. In fact, some believed he would eventually be shipped out and leave Orlando once his contract is done. But all this was before the 28-year-old cager made a name for himself with an impressive season. He averaged 20.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1 steal aside from the fact he shot 36.4-percent from beyond the arc.
One of the icings on Vucevic’s 2018-19 NBA season was being named to his first NBA All-Star game. With all that tucked under his belt, the Magic would be foolish to let him walk. And based on the words of Magic president Jeff Weltman, it seems they intend to exhaust everything to keep Vooch in the circle, The Athletic said.
“You know, it’s the NBA, and as I always say, there’s a lot of real estate between the intentions and what gets done. But it is a priority for us,” Weltman said in that piece.
However and like other top free agents, Vucevic is expected to keep his options open. He mentioned in a report from the Orlando Sentinel that while he did have seven wonderful years with the Magic, it will be a wait-and-see scenario.
“They have to decide what they want to do. Based on that, we’ll go from there. I wish I knew what would happen. I wish I had a contract in hand. It would be all over right now,” said 16th pick of the 2011 NBA Draft.
Part of that is the type of contract that would be on the table. The best Montenegrin basketball player can get is a four-year $140.6 million contract by any team that is not cash-strapped in salary space. One team that could give that is the Dallas Mavericks although they still have to thresh out things with Kristaps Porzingis.
In a way, giving Vucevic a max deal will come with a risk. It would pose a problem for teams in terms of salary – meaning there could be casualties. Vucevic is expected to give teams something to think about and that is perhaps a (good) problem on his part.
