Micic played five games in a Suns jersey, didn’t score a point.
Welcome to our Phoenix Suns Season in Review series, where we take a closer look at each player who suited up during the 2024–25 campaign. One by one, we’ll break down what went right, what went wrong, and what each player can do to take the next step heading into next season.
Vasilije Micic had just a short stint with the Suns this season. Being traded to Phoenix from the Hornets at the trade deadline (in which the Suns sent Jusuf Nurkic to Charlotte), the expectations weren’t much for Micic whatsoever. He joined Phoenix with the role of a veteran playmaker with just a year and a half of NBA experience and a great EuroLeague resume, but never became a rotation piece for the Suns. After playing 36 games with the Hornets and averaging just over 20 minutes a game for them, in Phoenix he saw almost no minutes.
Appearing in just five games in a Suns jersey, Micic’s minutes all came in garbage time, where he scored a grand total of zero points. Again, the trade was never to add Micic, but more so dump Nurkic’s contract off and add Nick Richards, so it wasn’t much surprising to see Vasilije get only minimal run.
Vasilije Micic
- Position: Point Guard
- Vitals: 6’3”, 188 pounds, 31 years old
- Experience: 2 years (9 years prior in Euroleague)
- Stats (Suns only): 5 GP, 0.0 PPG, 0.2 APG, 0.4 RPG
Contract Details
Micic signed a three-year contract with Oklahoma City in the 2023-24 offseason worth around $23.5 million total. The Phoenix Suns took on his contract via trade this past season, where his cap hit was about $7.7 million. This offseason, Micic’s contract is up for a team option worth $8.1 million in the potential final year of his contract. Phoenix is likely to decline his option and let the former EuroLeague star walk as an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Regular Season Recap
Micic began the 2024–25 NBA season with the Charlotte Hornets, where he averaged 7.5 PPG and 3.5 APG on 35/36/83 splits over 36 games. While those numbers weren’t anything impressive, it had been speculated that Charlotte would eventually move him elsewhere due to salary purposes. That ended up being the case,e too, as Phoenix acquired him at the deadline along with Nick Richards in the Jusuf Nurkic deal. Being really a salary filler in the trade, Micic was never truly expected to get any playtime in the Valley, which proved to be the case.
In Phoenix’s rotation, Vasilije was essentially invisible, only entering in five games, all in late-game blowout situations to clear the bench. In his most extended Suns outing, a brief eight-minute stint against Houston, he recorded a turnover and that’s all.
Micic didn’t score in any appearances, nor did he get any real action with the team, being listed as inactive for the majority of his time. In short, Micic never found a consistent role or meaningful minutes with Phoenix. There were no sudden changes or any significant reason as to why Vasilije didn’t play, he was just simply a bench spectator from February through April as figured when he was traded for.
Biggest Strength
Micic’s best asset to his game is his veteran playmaking and scoring variety.
In Europe he was a star; for example, in 2022–23 he averaged 16.0 points and 5.4 assists on pretty solid shooting splits (43.5% FG, 35.7% 3PT) in EuroLeague play. He also won two EuroLeague titles and was the 2021 EuroLeague MVP, showing his ability to control an offense in a physical game. However, those traits only passed over to the NBA slightly, as the scoring and efficiency hasn’t been as high volume as it once was. But, his basketball IQ and ability to run the point could have been valuable for Phoenix’s bench in certain situations.
Even though he didn’t get to show it on the floor with the Suns, Micic’s underlying strength is that he’s a seasoned point guard who, if needed, can hit the three (shot 36.0% from three with Charlotte this season). Just sucks we didn’t see much of Micic at all in a Suns jersey to truly find out how he fit in the offense.
Biggest Weakness
Micic’s main limitation this season, as well as last, has been his inability to adapt his game to the NBA level and earn playing time. His shooting efficiency was poor earlier in the season as he shot only 34.8% from the field in Charlotte.
In Phoenix’s system,m he seemingly never got into a rhythm, or at least was never given a chance, as he only suited up in five games. Defensively, Micic is also a liability due to his lack of quickness and how untranslated his size is to the NBA. All in all, Micic’s struggles with shooting inside the three point line and his minimal defensive impact has impacted his chances of staying in a rotation on an NBA team.
Likelihood of Return: 0
It seems highly unlikely Micic will be part of the Suns’ future, especially with him having a team option this offseason worth $8.1 million. The Suns traded for him just to solve the salary gap in the Nurkic trade, and he provided virtually nothing on the statsheet in five games.
The Suns are almost guaranteed to let Vasilije move on in free agency, a decision that I don’t think will be questioned in any way. I’d give a higher chance of Micic going back to the EuroLeague rather than back to the Valley in the offseason.
Overall Grade: D
Micic’s season with Phoenix was about as minimal as it gets. He was essentially inactive for almost all the games and didn’t score in the five games he did play in. While none of this was by choice (he was never given a real chance to prove himself), the end result is that he made no true positive impact on the team. However, he did help get Nurkic traded which you could say is a win, so there’s that.
Overall though, just not much to truly say about Micic’s time in Phoenix.
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