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Nikola Vučević

Orlando Magic · #9 · Rotation
C6'9"260 lbage 3515 yrs expUSCSimi Valley, CA
9th best of 12 on ORLworth +1.2 wins to the rotation
OFF80DEF71
Elite playmaker & shooter
ORL
Orlando Magic
Eastern · Southeast · proj. 46-36 (▲+2.3)
→
2× All-Star

A skilled veteran center and unrestricted free agent coming off a two-team season — still a monster on the glass (8.4 boards, 90th-percentile rebounding) and a genuine floor-spacer at his size, hitting 36.9% from three on 57% true shooting. He's a savvy hub passer (74th percentile) with great hands, but at 35 the defense and rim mobility are real concerns. A plug-and-play offensive big for a contender.

15.1
PPG
8.4
RPG
3.3
APG
0.6
SPG
0.6
BPG
GP 64MPG 28.4FG% 49.33P% 36.9FT% 82.8TS% 57.4USG% 21.4PER 17.7BPM +1.5VORP 1.6
2025-26 regular season · bars are percentile at his position

NBA player ratings

0–99 · 2025-26 form
Playmaking94
Shooting93
Scoring76
Rebounding74
Inside finishing66
Perimeter defense62
Rim protection58

Skill ratings are 2025-26 per-game and advanced stats (Basketball-Reference) ranked 0–99 within position (guards vs guards, bigs vs bigs). Overall is anchored to EPM impact on a non-linear curve, nudged by these skills; Offense and Defense come from box plus-minus. A player who missed the latest season is shown from his most recent one.

Career

2011-12 to 2025-26 · 15 seasons
17.1
PPG
10.3
RPG
2.9
APG
1,036
GAMES
Points 17,684Win Shares 84.3Starts 957Best season 2018-19 · 20.8 ppg
Games played, last three seasons87%
AMONG CURRENT PLAYERS
16th in career points25th in Win Shares18th in games played

Regular season, 2003-04 onward (Basketball-Reference). Averages are weighted by games played; honours count awards won, not finishes. “Current players” means the 802 who played in the last three seasons.

Trajectory

2023-24 → 2025-26 · age 33 → 35
▲Rising

Nikola, at 35, is on a clear upward trajectory — +0.1 → +1.5 box plus-minus over the window.

Age curve▲ Ahead of curve
Aging better than the curve — holding his level longer than most.
2026-27 forecast▼ 2.8 wins (-1.3)
Age takes about 1.4 wins off at 36. Range 0.7–5.0 wins.
Production (BPM)+0.1 → +1.5+1.426-27 forecast +0.5
His per-possession game has clearly sharpened.
2023-24: +0.1 · 76 games2024-25: +2.6 · 73 games2025-26: +1.5 · 64 games2026-27: +0.5 (forecast)23-2425-2626-27
Value to team (wins)3.8 → 4.2+0.426-27 forecast 2.8
His value to a team has been stable.
2023-24: 3.8 · 76 games2024-25: 6.2 · 73 games2025-26: 4.2 · 64 games2026-27: 2.8 (forecast)23-2425-2626-27
Contract value2026-27: worth $6.3M vs $3.9M salary+$2.4M
He is paid about what his play is projected to be worth.
$3.9M salary2023-24: $9.4M · 76 games2024-25: $29.8M · 73 games2025-26: $11.0M · 64 games2026-27: $6.3M (forecast)23-2425-2626-27
Current deal: $3,900,000 cap hit · through '27. On the contract row the flat dashed line is this salary, so the gap to the 2026-27 forecast is the surplus.

Seasons from Basketball-Reference (2023-24 → 2025-26). Production is box plus-minus, a per-possession measure. Value is VORP-based wins, so it also counts games played. Contract value is what each season’s play would fetch on the open market. The dotted 2026-27 point is a forecast: his established level, a year older, assuming a normal season.

Contract

2026-27
$3,900,000Guaranteed
2% of the club’s payroll · 10th of 14 priced deals
Runs through1 season
Est. market value$6,250,228 /yr
Surplus+$2,350,228
FAIR VALUEpaid about what he is worth

Market value is an estimate, not a reported figure: what his play is forecast to fetch on the open market in 2026-27 — his current rating, a year older. Cap thresholds are projected for 2026-27 until the league sets them.

2026-27 off-season

1 move

OFFICIAL means the league’s own records carry the move; AGREED means a trusted insider reported it and the league has not processed it yet. Terms and attribution come from the wire, which is the only source that carries them.

Plays like

same position

Nearest skill profiles across the seven rating axes — who he plays like, not who is as good. The rating beside each name answers that second question.