Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic's name hasn't popped up in any trade rumors, and according to one report, you shouldn't expect it to - especially not before the 2015 NBA draft is over. Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler didn't allude to Vucevic being on the trade block, but when asked a question, he said if a trade were to happen it wouldn't be until after June 25 because of Vucevic's contract.
Again, no reports have Vucevic on the trade block, and it's unlikely Orlando is even considering dealing the potential All-Star. But Kyler's discussion of Vucevic's contract extension -it arose when Kyler was asked a hypothetical about Orlando trading Vucevic for draft picks - is worth passing along.
"Until July, Vucevic is pretty hard to trade because of his extension. He still counts for his current salary ($2.75 million) but to an acquiring team they have to take the average of his current deal plus the extension - so he is $2.75 million to the Magic but $10.14 million in trade at the draft," Kyler wrote Tuesday. "Not many teams can make that kind of deal. The Magic have cap space so they could absorb, but I don't see the Magic considering that."
Vucevic's four-year, $48 million extension goes into effect next season. While the Magic may not be shopping the 24-year-old, that doesn't mean there wouldn't be a market for him if he were to become available. Vucevic has improved each year, finishing the 2014-15 season with averages of 19.3 points and 10.9 rebounds.
Orlando acquired Vucevic from Philadelphia in the 2012 three-team trade involving Dwight Howard, Andrew Bynum and Arron Afflalo.
