Ranking the 6 players involved in Chicago Bulls’ trade for Nikola Vucevic

2. Nikola Vucevic

Nikola Vucevic was the target of this blockbuster trade, as a two-time All-Star with the Orlando Magic. Vooch helped lead the Chicago Bulls to their first playoff appearance since 2017, where they would eventually lose in 5 games to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. Since coming to Chicago in 2021, he has shown both his strengths and weaknesses, at times looking like his all-star self. However, there were points in this past season where it looked like Andre Drummond would be a better fit as the starter, even though that never actually happened. One of the key reasons for Vooch’s poor play as a Bull was his struggles from long range. In his last 1.5 seasons with the Magic, Vucevic shot over 40% from three-point range, but this did not fully transfer over to his time in Chicago, as he is shooting just 34% from deep.

While Vooch has struggled from distance, he has been a beast in the paint, with most of his best games revolving around dominance inside. This was shown in his career high 43 point showing against the Golden State Warriors in January:

Vucevic’s contract is now expiring, and he is now an unrestricted free agent in this offseason. The Bulls have an important decision to make here, as they can re-sign their center, do a sign-and-trade, or let him walk without receiving anything in return. Vucevic is technically eligible for a 4-year, $118 million deal, but word around the league is that the Bulls are targeting a 3-year, $65 million contract.

This would be an interesting move for the Bulls, as they would have to properly utilize Vooch, which is something they have not done in his 2+ years here. If the Bulls choose to re-sign Vucevic, they need to fully commit to him and refuse to keep him on the perimeter, where he is less effective. Otherwise, the Chicago Bulls need to do a sign-and-trade for either draft picks or a young player in order to start retooling the roster.

1. Franz Wagner

The best player to come out of this Bulls-Magic trade is 21-year-old Franz Wagner. Wagner was selected with the 8th overall pick in 2021, and he has quickly become the second-most valuable asset that the Orlando Magic have to offer, behind Paolo Banchero.

Wagner is a ridiculous offensive weapon, averaging 18.6 points and 3.5 assists per game on 48.5/36.1/84.2 shooting splits in just his second season in the NBA. The Michigan product is a 6’10” forward that is remarkably agile and has tremendous basketball IQ. Going into the draft, Wagner projected to be a glue guy that would make the right plays on offense, but he was able to develop at a rapid pace into the Magic’s second scoring option. He has shown that he is a 3-level scorer, being able to score the ball from everywhere on the court and in a variety of ways.

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Wagner has shown his ability to use his size and agility against smaller defenders to get to the rim at will and consistently score. He has also been able to shoot the ball well from deep, adding to his lethal offensive abilities.

As the Bulls-Magic trade finally settles, it is clear that the Magic came away with a better deal. Orlando received key players that are setting them up for the future, while the Bulls received a really good center but have not used him properly and have risked their future for little payoff. The key here is that the Bulls need to take this as a learning experience and be wary of mortgaging their future, unless it is for a superstar that can bring the Bulls to the next level.