The Philadelphia 76ers should not have a lot of complaints on their roster at this juncture after the kind of offseason they had, but if there is one area where they are a tad more vulnerable, it is their backup center situation. As such, the front office should keep looking for possible upgrades, and to that effect, they might want to pay attention to the Magic in the upcoming campaign for the purpose of ascertaining whether Nikola Vucevic might end up being available as a trade target.
Vucevic, who returned to Orlando this offseason to the tune of a one-year, veteran's minimum deal, was quietly one of the best bargain bin additions this summer. However, there are no guarantees for him in his reunion with the Magic as his team has other options in his position. There is a good chance that he ends up getting buried on the bench as his weaknesses get more pronounced with age.
The 76ers could trade for and reunite with former All-Star Nikola Vucevic
Philly has a wider selection of possible backup big men this time around, but none of them tout a profile that includes post scoring as a featured trait. To inject more variance into their second unit, a scoring center like Vucevic should be intriguing, especially since Joel Embiid will still be missing games by design even if he is fully healthy.
The Montenegrin has long been one of the best post operators in the league, although his latest stint with the Celtics forced him to fully shift to being a floor spacer. Hypothetically speaking, though, the 76ers can afford to get him to operate in both ways given their more dynamic roster.
Wendell Carter Jr. will remain the starting center in Orlando with Goga Bitadze as their primary backup. While Vucevic could start the year as the main relief for Carter, Bitadze simply fits them better as a high-caliber interior defender with a great court sense. As a result, there should be a strong chance that the two-time All-Star ends up being a trade candidate before the deadline.
The moment that happens, the 76ers should put themselves out there as a bidder for Vucevic. He will certainly not cost a lot to strike a deal for, and the prospect of returning to the team that drafted him in the NBA should be plenty attractive for the veteran, especially with Philly aiming for a championship. But more importantly, there might actually be a good role waiting for him.
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