The Chicago Bulls are trying to offload some of their most valuable veterans before the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline, at least according to some reports and general common sense.
Finding a taker for Zach LaVine would be the Bulls' golden goose. The 29-year-old is having an All-Star-caliber season and is currently posting MVP-type numbers.
Young players like Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu should have some value around the league, although it may not be worth dealing them if Chicago can't get a worthwhile return. Both guards are young enough to stick around for a rebuild, provided it eventually comes.
Veterans Torrey Craig and Jevon Carter are surplus to requirements for Head Coach Billy Donovan, and though they wouldn't fetch much on the market, anything is better than nothing.
Then there's center Nikola Vucevic, who, like LaVine, is having an All-Star-type year. The 34-year-old is averaging a double-double and is shooting 55.6 percent from the floor and 42.2 percent from three.
Given his cheaper and shorter contract, valued ability to score both in the post and from deep and his consistent rebounding numbers, Vucevic should be the Bulls' most sensible trade piece. Reports have consistently stated, though, that Chicago could only expect to land a few second-round picks in exchange for its veteran center.
But positive developments have just emerged on that front.
Bulls get good news surrounding potential Nikola Vucevic trade
Earlier this season, Chicago was reportedly holding out for a first-round pick in exchange for Vucevic. Given his age and lack of defensive ability, that seemed rather unreasonable.
But as he's continued to score at the same level of efficiency, especially from behind the arc, things have apparently changed.
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, multiple NBA executives believe it "could cost a first-round pick to pry him from Chicago."
Scotto specifically connects the Golden State Warriors to Vucevic in his most recent reporting, but the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks have also been mentioned as potential destinations. Vucevic's archetype as a floor-stretching center would fit almost anywhere.
With fewer than three weeks to go before the deadline, the Bulls' front office must make a decision: start shedding veterans for the best possible return or continue to straddle the line between rebuild and playoff contention.
Trading Vucevic for a first-rounder would be a dramatic step in the right direction.