Nikola Vucevic is one of the better young big men in the NBA, and if he ends up hitting the free agent market, he will get a really nice contract. But why isn't he a household name then? One reason — he plays for the Orlando Magic; the team that has seemed to be in a permanent rebuild since Dwight Howard left town, and it's hard to say when it will end.
They have up and coming young players, but they have had those for some time now, and they haven't resulted in wins or a promising direction.
Vucevic is a reliable big man who can punish his defender on the post but has also developed a decent stroke from beyond the arc. He recently sat down with HoopsHype's Alex Kennedy for an interview and was asked about his upcoming free agency. He only has one year left on his contract and then will become an unrestricted free agent. Vucevic said the biggest thing to keep him around Orlando is winning.
“I could [see myself remaining in Orlando long-term]. I’ve been here a while now and obviously we haven’t had much success on the court for different reasons, but I believe we aren’t too far away and we can compete very soon. That’s obviously something that’s really important to me – for us to start winning – because at the end of the day, that’s all that matters. All of the stats and individual things are great, but none of those compare to having team success. When you win in this league, that’s the best feeling. So that’s what is most important to me. I do believe we can get there, though. I don’t think about [my free agency] too much. When the time comes to address that, I will. But I am happy in Orlando and I could see myself being here for a long time, so we’ll see what happens.”
It sure sounds like the Magic are going to have to start winning some games this year, or show that they are heading in the right direction, or Vucevic could be packing his bags for somewhere else.
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