The latest Chicago Bulls news on Star Wars Day, featuring some new information on a potential Nikola Vucevic trade and whether the franchise should hold interest in Warriors' forward Jonathan Kuminga.
Bulls' offseason plans about to come into sharper focus
The 2025 NBA Draft Lottery is only eight days away, which means Chicago's summer strategy, at least draft-wise, will become much clearer.
The Bulls have the 12th-best odds to land the No. 1 overall pick with a 1.7 percent chance. Their odds at the No. 2 pick are 1.9 percent, the No. 3 pick 2.1 and a top-four pick 2.4. Chicago's chances of staying put at No. 12 when the ping-pong balls bounce are a solid 85.2 percent. (On the bright side, the chances of falling to No. 14 are only 0.1 percent.)
If the Bulls do indeed land the No. 12 pick, it would bring multiple scenarios into play, including a trade down to acquire more draft capital in future years.
Should Chicago make an offseason play for Jonathan Kuminga?
The veteran Golden State Warriors held a 3-1 series lead against the mostly young and playoff-inexperienced Houston Rockets. After back-to-back losses, including one at home, the Dubs face elimination in a Game 7 tonight.
One of the storylines to come out of Game 6 is Warriors' Head Coach Steve Kerr's decision to keep Kuminga, who's been a major part of the team's success this season, glued to the bench.
Kuminga averaged 15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in the regular season but has seen his role diminish since Golden State acquired Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline. Butler and Kuminga play similar games, but Playoff Jimmy is still a real thing. As neither Butler nor Kuminga are floor spacers, playing them together has tended to clog up the Warriors' offense.
Kerr says Kuminga has a chance to play in Game 7, but his status outside of that is uncertain. Still just 22, the G League Ignite product will be a restricted free agent at the conclusion of this season. His camp has been vocal about wanting a max extension, but Golden State hasn't shown any desire to shell out that kind of money, and now Butler is on the books for $110 million over the next two years.
The Bulls could use someone with Kuminga's skill set as a big, strong, athletic forward who can defend multiple positions, run in transition and finish explosively at the basket, but he would be an expensive signing. Considering Josh Giddey will likely re-up with Chicago this summer on a similar long-term deal, bringing in Kuminga could be a stretch unless the two front offices can work out a sign-and-trade where the Bulls dump Nikola Vucevic, Patrick Williams or empty salary.
2 centers on the trade block this offseason?
Speaking of Vucevic, the 34-year-old will play on an expiring $21.5 million contract in 2025-26. His age and clunky game make him an odd fit in the Bulls' offense. It would behoove Chicago to find a trade partner this summer.
Zach Collins, acquired in this year's Zach LaVine trade, is a better fit than Vucevic, but he's on an $18.5 million expiring contract and could be another of Chicago's big men on the move. There's a possibility both are traded, points out Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, which would necessitate grabbing a big man in June's draft.
Duke's Khaman Maluach would be an ideal fit for the Bulls with his 7-foot-2 size and 7-10 wingspan. The 18-year-old could develop as a rim protector and rebounder, and has the athleticism to function in Donovan's scheme. It seems like a stretch that Maluach would still be on the board at pick No. 12, however, which would mean the franchise would need to take a different approach to upgrading the frontcourt.