Bleacher Report proposes 2 blockbuster Nikola Vucevic trades for Bulls

Chicago Bulls fans are impatiently waiting as they await what the organization will do once free agency officially kicks off.

Will Zach LaVine be back with the team on a max contract? If not, what other star players might they chase? How about the all-important depth that needs to be addressed? And will Nikola Vucevic be on the move?

That last question has been lingering for much longer than anybody could’ve expected. The veteran center is on an expiring contract and will make $22 million during the 2022-2023 season, which actually makes him a desirable trade candidate despite the high price tag.

Given Vucevic’s struggles on defense and the offensive production that doesn’t match his deficiencies on the other end of the floor, it’s been argued that he’s not the necessary fit for this Bulls team. Then again, it might be difficult to truly judge that since fans only got a fraction of the season with everyone fully healthy and gelling under head coach Billy Donovan.

But forget about the fit for a moment. Should the Bulls re-sign LaVine, they’ll have hardly any money leftover to add other pieces that need to complement the rest of the roster, which will be a problem.

That’s perhaps the more paramount reason Vucevic might be dealt. The potential financial restraint might be too much.

Bleacher Report proposed 2 Nikola Vucevic blockbuster trades for Bulls

Fans have talked about various scenarios regarding Vucevic, but recently Bleacher Report gave us a few more to discuss.

In their “1 New Trade Idea for Every NBA Team” piece that went up this week, there were two deals that involved the former first-round pick: one with the Utah Jazz and the other with the San Antonio Spurs.

Here’s what writer Greg Swartz proposed for both trades:

Bleacher Report’s Bulls-Spurs trade proposal

• San Antonio Spurs Receive: C Nikola Vucevic
• Chicago Bulls Receive: C Jakob Poeltl, G/F Josh Richardson, 2022 second-round pick (via Los Angeles Lakers)

Bleacher Report’s Bulls-Jazz trade proposal

• Chicago Bulls Receive: C Rudy Gobert
• Utah Jazz Receive: F Patrick Williams, C Nikola Vucevic, F Javonte Green

How about THAT?! If the Bulls can upgrade in the form of Rudy Gobert, those “financial restraints” won’t matter because of what the Stifle Tower brings to the table on both sides of the ball. As for the deal with the Spurs, that would give Chicago a starting center, a veteran depth piece off the bench, and a draft pick (No. 38 overall!) to address whatever other needs they might have. The team would also get the assistance they need on defense and add another shooter in Richardson who can cash in on 3-pointers, which is what Chicago’s bench struggled mightily with this past season.

Now, let’s look at the cons. Gobert is under contract through 2025-2026 after recently signing a five-year, $205 million extension. He’ll make $38 million next season, which will really limit what the Bulls can do. Plus, they’ll be losing two other players in Patrick Williams and Javonte Green, both of whom help out nicely on the defensive end. The salaries don’t match either, with the Bulls inheriting an extra ~$7 million for 2022-2023 with Gobert’s deal.

For the San Antonio trade, the Bulls would get two expiring contracts in Poeltl and Richardson (making a combined $21.5 million, so the salaries match), so there’s no guaranteed “future” help here. Additionally, Poeltl only just became an impact player this past season (13.5 points, 9.3 rebounds) after never averaging more than 8.6 and 7.9 across his six-year career. He might’ve just become acclimated to the Spurs’ system, and would join an offense heavily predicated on LaVine and DeMar DeRozan taking most of the shots.

Fans can convince themselves of either of these deals positively impacting the Bulls, especially if many aren’t sold on Vucevic. It’s safe to say there are many worse proposals out there, so if these are potentially on the table at any point, the Bulls will be getting appropriate value if they were to ship off their starting center.

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