Nikola Vučević is headed back to Orlando, and the Magic are getting him at a bargain.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the free agent center has agreed to a one-year, $3.9 million deal with the franchise he once spent nearly nine seasons with. Vučević reportedly passed on more lucrative offers elsewhere to return to Orlando, where he has kept a home since leaving.
The move brings back a familiar face who still carries real weight in the Magic record book. In his first run with the team, Vučević appeared in 591 games, the fourth-most in franchise history. He sits third in points with 10,423, second in rebounds with 6,381 and third in blocks with 550.
At 35, he’s still producing. During the 2025-26 season, Vučević averaged 15.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists while knocking down 36.9 percent of his three-point attempts. He remains one of the league’s most reliable double-double machines, ranking second among active NBA players in career double-doubles behind only LeBron James.
For Orlando, this is the kind of low-cost, high-function addition teams love to make. President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman adds a proven rebounder and a big man who can stretch the floor, all while the Magic continue working to sharpen their offensive efficiency. Vučević isn’t coming back to be the centerpiece he once was; the expectation is that he settles into a veteran bench role and helps cover the production lost when Moe Wagner left for the Brooklyn Nets, ending his run as a teammate of his brother, Franz Wagner.
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