Nikola Vucevic had some interesting things to say about the present and future of the Chicago Bulls in a recent interview.
He blamed injuries (particularly to Lonzo Ball) for Chicago’s failures, but also added that repeated trade rumors were causing distractions in the locker room.
My response was, “Get used to it.”
dark. Related Article. This Trade Proposal Could Be a Smart Bet for the Bulls. This Trade Proposal Could Be a Smart Bet for the Bulls
The Chicago Bulls will be the subject of more trade rumors than any other team in the NBA next season and new names will be added to the speculation.
We’ve talked about it ad nauseam, but the Bulls are stuck between a rebuild and being competitive in the Eastern Conference.
It seems like they’re looking to go after youth, so everyone around the league expects them to continue to trade Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, two names that will be staples in rumors next season.
At present, there is no market for either of them, but that could change with injuries or slow starts from other teams, so the Bulls will have to be patient.
Until these two are gone, they will be the subject of incessant trade rumors, but they won’t be the only ones.
The Bulls have been criticized for how they handled DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso, waiting too long to trade the veterans and having to accept peanuts for the dollar.
They did manage to get Josh Giddey, so it wasn’t a total waste, but one has to wonder if those mistakes will prompt the Bulls to handle their next round of stars differently.
Realistically, the Bulls won’t be good in two seasons when White and Dosunmu’s contracts expire, and both guys have outperformed their current contracts in a way that will make it nearly impossible to extend them, meaning they could both become unrestricted free agents.
Knowing that, in addition to the schedule of Giddey and Matas Buzelis, the Bulls could decide to cash in on White and Dosunmu when their trade value is at its peak. Even if they don’t, there will be plenty of speculation and rumors surrounding these two and they will be connected to every suitor looking to add low-impact talent at the deadline.
This is going to be tough for a young team to handle, as they’ll see their names in trade rumors every day and wonder when and if it’s finally going to happen.
But there’s no getting around it: Trade speculation is the lifeblood of the NBA’s media machine, and the Bulls will almost certainly be a big part of it next season, whether they like it or not.
