Nikola Vucevic is one of the most underrated big men in the Eastern Conference and is currently one of the core members of the Orlando Magic. That being said, there were quite a few rumors coming out of Orlando that the Magic were considering trading their talented center before the 2018-19 NBA season began.

According to a report from the Orlando Sentinel, the Magic have no plans to trade Vucevic right now. That does not mean that he will be untouchable when the trade deadline draws closer.

In the article were some quotes from Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman, who made it clear that no trade is in the works at this point in time.

“We have no designs on trading anyone right now. That’s something that we’ll worry about later. Vooch is a high-quality player and an even higher-quality person. He’s very valuable to our team today, and he’s very valuable to what we want to be about going forward. So I wouldn’t even entertain those thoughts yet. We just hope to have a good season. We want to make progress, obviously, in the ‘W’ column but also [in] the way that we work, developing our players and starting to build something special here.”

If the Magic truly want to get back into playoff contention, Vucevic will be a big part of helping them do that. Orlando is stacked in the front-court, which could force a move at some point, but for now, Vucevic is without question their best and most consistent center.

During the 2017-18 season with the Magic, Vucevic ended up averaging 16.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game. He shot 47.5 percent from the field overall and knocked down 31.4 percent of his three-point attempts. In addition to those numbers, he also dished out 3.4 assists per contest.

Vucevic may end up being the odd man out when the Magic decide to make a move. Mo Bamba will be the future for the franchise at the center position. If and when the Magic decide to make him available, plenty of teams will come calling.

That being said, Orlando appears ready to keep Vucevic and keep him as a big part of their upcoming season at this point in time.