The Portland Trail Blazers shook up the NBA free agency market late Sunday night when they finalized a buyout with center Deandre Ayton, which is nothing but a positive development for the Bulls. While Chicago may not be interested in Ayton himself, the team now has a more palatable list of available centers who could potentially replace Nikola Vucevic.
This idea is obviously dependent on the Bulls moving on from their long-time big man, but Vucevic has been a constant in trade rumors for years, and Chicago now has another reason to send him elsewhere.
With Ayton now at the top of the list for most teams in need of a center, Chicago VP of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas will have more options to fill a potential Vucevic-sized hole.
Free agent center market just got more interesting for the Bulls
The Blazers drafted Donovan Clingan in 2024 and added Yang Hansen with the 16th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Duop Reath is also in the mix in Portland, which made Ayton expensive and expendable.
The 26-year-old's new availability pushes the rest of the free agent big men down the pecking order, and that's a boon for Chicago.
A veteran center like Clint Capela, for example, would have been in higher demand if Ayton were still a member of the Trail Blazers. Now, Capela, who fits what the Bulls need as a rim-runner and rim protector, will likely have fewer suitors and come at a cheaper price.
The 11-year veteran is reaching the point in his career where he could be better utilized as a backup, but he would likely see more playing time in Chicago than he would elsewhere. He would help the Bulls in the half-court as a pick-and-roll partner for Josh Giddey, and he would immediately become the team's best shot blocker. He still averaged 14.9 points and 14.4 rebounds to go along with 1.6 blocks per-36 minutes last year despite turning 31.
Even fallback options like Al Horford and Brook Lopez could see their values slip.
A Vucevic trade isn't a foregone conclusion. But if the Bulls do move on, thanks to Portland's surprising release of Ayton, the front office will have an easier time finding a replacement.