While the Chicago Bulls were able to part ways with DeMar DeRozan via trade, the team still needs to shed a few key pieces before it can embark on a full rebuild. Since DeRozan’s departure, most of the coverage has focused on Zach LaVine and his untradeable contract, but Chicago also needs to address the Nikola Vucevic situation.
A two-time NBA All-Star, Vucevic is a productive but flawed NBA center who no longer fits Chicago’s schedule. That would make a trade this summer seem inevitable, but according to NBA Insider Marc SteinA deal with Vucevic is more likely during the season than in the summer.
“It should be much easier for Chicago to trade Vucevic given that he only has two seasons left on his contract for a total of just over $41 million… and proven big men are harder to come by. Early indications, however, suggest that a trade involving the 33-year-old is more likely to happen this offseason than before,” Stein wrote via his Substack.
Chicago Bulls expected to trade Nikola Vucevic during the season 👀 pic.twitter.com/CY3uyKcYwx
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This is somewhat unexpected, as Chicago’s plan for the summer was apparently to dismantle this iteration of their roster, but it appears they may not begin that process until the offseason. Assuming they can’t trade LaVine and Vucevic this summer, the best-case scenario for Chicago is that both players start well next season (preferably in competitive losses), which then provides incentive for opposing teams to trade them.
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