NBA

NBA Rumors: Magic, Vucevic Agree to Extension

Orlando extends Nikola Vucevic, Boston will trade or waive Will Bynum, and Washington signs a guard.

adel profile picture
Sports Editor
Disclosure
We sometimes use affiliate links in our content, when clicking on those we might receive a commission – at no extra cost to you. By using this website you agree to our terms and conditions and privacy policy.

Check out the biggest rumors of the day in our NBA Rumor Round-Up. For more rumors and news, check out Basketball Insiders’ headlines, which are constantly being updated.

Magic Extend Vucevic for Four Years

The Orlando Magic and the representatives for center Nik Vucevic are finalizing a contract extension that will add four years to his current deal and will run through the 2018-19 NBA season, industry sources told the Orlando Sentinel.

The deal will pay Vucevic a total of $53 million over four seasons, and the extension will not include an opt-out clause that would enable Vucevic to become a free agent before the summer of 2019.

via Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel

This is a good move for the Magic, as Vucevic is a very important piece of their young core. The 24-year-old center joined the Magic as part of the Dwight Howard blockbuster deal and has looked good over the last two seasons in Orlando.

The Magic love the huge strides that Vucevic has made, as he has been one of the most productive young centers in the NBA.

Last year, Vucevic averaged 14.2 points and 11 rebounds. He must improve on the defensive end, but he has shown he can score in the low-post and dominate the glass.

Had Vucevic not agreed to a contract extension with the Magic, he would’ve been a restricted free agent next summer and the Magic may have had to pay more to retain him.

This is a fair deal for both sides, especially with the salary cap set to increase significantly over the next few years due to the NBA’s new television deal. It’ll be interesting to watch Vucevic as he continues to develop, but it’s clear that the Magic view him as a franchise cornerstone.

Tobias Harris is also eligible for an extension with the Magic, but the two sides are far apart and may not come to an agreement.

Bynum’s Future is Up in the Air

Danny Ainge and Mark Bartelstein, the agent for Will Bynum, continue to work today to find a destination for the veteran point guard that might also bring the Celtics something of value in return.

“We’re trying to see if there is something we can do,” said Bartelstein, who said that Bynum is currently working out in his hometown of Chicago, where years ago he was the high school teammate of Tony Allen.

Bartelstein stressed that Bynum has neither been asked to stay away from Celtics training camp nor refused to attend.

via Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald

It seems that the Celtics are trying to flip Will Bynum after recently acquiring him from the Pistons in exchange for Joel Anthony.

If Boston can’t move Bynum, they will likely waive him since they have 16 players with guaranteed contracts and must trim that down to 15 by the start of the regular season.

As a source told Murphy in the article, this is a very difficult time to make a trade. Teams have already made their moves and now they’re just focused on getting everyone on the same page and seeing what they have.

According to Bartelstein, Bynum is healthy and ready to contribute. He had strained his hamstring earlier in the preseason, but he’s fine now. He has been working out in Chicago while he waits to see how this will play out.

The 31-year-old averaged 8.7 points and 3.9 assists last year while playing 18.8 minutes per game off of the Pistons’ bench. If Boston waives Bynum, there’s a good possibility that another team will sign him, especially when injuries start occurring and backcourt help is needed.

Wizards Sign John Lucas

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed guard John Lucas.

via NBA press release

John Wall and Andre Miller will obviously be ahead of Lucas on the depth chart, but this move gives the team another point guard who can contribute.

Lucas could also help the team playing alongside Wall or Miller over the next few weeks, since Brad Beal and Martell Webster are injured. The Wizards will likely have to go small and get creative to fill the hole at two-guard.

In six seasons with Houston, Chicago, Toronto and Utah, Lucas has appeared in 216 regular season games while averaging 4.8 points and 1.4 assists in 12.2 minutes.

Last season, Lucas appeared in 42 games with Utah and averaged 3.8 points and an assist in 14.1 minutes.

Trending Now