Since being traded to the Orlando Magic in 2012, Nikola Vucevic has quietly been one of the best centers in the NBA.Despite never receiving much attention for his stellar play, the Swiss 7-footer is coming off a strong season in which he averaged 14.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in just 28.8 minutes per contest.He was off to a hot start to this season, averaging 17.4 points, 9.4 boards and 3.3 dimes per contest in 29.9 minutes. However, his impressive individual numbers were halted when he broke his index finger on December 23.He had surgery three days later and is in the process of recovering right now.Despite the fact that the Magic are 14-33 and his name has come up in many trade rumors, the big man made it very clear where he wants to be in the future.“I love it here,” he answered when he was asked whether he’d like to remain with the club on Thursday, per Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. “I’m just disappointed that I haven’t been able to bring more wins and more joy to this franchise, to these fans. That’s the biggest disappointment for me. But other than that, everything’s been great for me here as far as how the organization treated me, how the fans treated me, my role on the team, how I’ve been able to perform. All that’s been great.”Therefore, he seems very happy right where he is.He continued, “I think if only we could get some wins, get some joy around here, it would be so much better. I always think we’re not that far away. I always think it’s like a couple of things that need to change, a couple of things that we could do to make it better. That’s why I try to stay positive. It’s not easy. A lot times when we have a bad loss, when we get a couple of losses in a row and all that, it takes a toll. You get very frustrated. But it’s never gotten to a point where I felt like I should ask to be moved.”

Not only has Vucevic emerged as one of the leaders of the youthful Magic, but his contract is also a discount given his production. He’s making $12.25 million this year and is owed $12.75 million next year before entering free agency in the summer of 2019.

Since Orlando is in the midst of a rebuild, they could very well elect to trade away the talented 27 year old for draft picks, a young prospect or two, or both. But they could also decide to keep him around and build around him and Aaron Gordon moving forward as well. 

It seems like he wants to call Orlando home for a long time and is fully committed to creating a winning culture in the near future.