While the Chicago Bulls were able to part ways with DeMar DeRozan via a sign and trade, the team still has some big pieces to move before they can fully enter a rebuild. Much of the reporting since DeRozan’s departure has been about Zach LaVine and his un-tradable contract, but Chicago also has to figure out Nikola Vucevic’s situation.
A two-time NBA All-Star, Vucevic is a productive but flawed NBA center that no longer fits Chicago’s timeline. This would make a trade this summer feel like an inevitability, but according to NBA insider Marc Stein, a Vucevic deal is more likely during the season than the summer.
“Vucevic should be far easier for Chicago to trade given that he has just two seasons left on his contract at a total slightly above $41 million … and with proven big men harder to find. The early indications, though, suggest that a move involving the 33-year-old is more likely to materialize during the season than before it,” Stein wrote via his Substack.
The Chicago Bulls are expected to trade Nikola Vucevic during the season 👀 pic.twitter.com/CY3uyKcYwx
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) July 30, 2024
This is somewhat unexpected, as Chicago’s plan entering the summer was seemingly to tear down this iteration of their roster, but it seems they may only be able to begin that process this offseason. Assuming they cannot deal LaVine and Vucevic this summer, the best case scenario for Chicago is both players starting off next season well (preferably in competitive losses), which then entices opposing teams to deal for them.
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