Even with 35-year-old Nikola Vucevic still playing at a high level, the Chicago Bulls should be aiming for an upgrade at center at this year's trade deadline.
Already listed as a potential trade suitor for Anthony Davis, the Bulls may be interested in a second All-Star center from the Western Conference: Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings.
That, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer via The Stein Line substack, who also notes Vucevic himself holds interest around the league, given his production and expiring contract. Should Chicago decide to move on from the 15-year veteran and look for a younger option more suited to its current timeline, Sabonis makes some sense.
How much sense, exactly, is open for debate.
Chicago Bulls reportedly interested in Kings Domantas Sabonis
Sabonis is currently on the shelf after suffering a partially torn meniscus, but the 29-year-old is set to be re-evaluated in mid-December. In 11 games this season, he's averaging 17.2 points,12.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.2 steals on 51.0 percent shooting in 33.2 minutes.
Fischer writes, "I've heard from more than a few rival executives who have noted Vučević's trade-friendly contract, plus the other expiring deals on Chicago's books, which has led them to wonder aloud about the Bulls' Lithuanian GM Artūras Karnišovas pursuing Sabonis."
Sabonis and Vucevic play similar games. Both are high-IQ double-double machines and excellent passers who can act as playmaking hubs. But both are also ground-bound, below-average athletes who struggle on defense.
Sabonis is an odd, but not impossible, fit with the Bulls
Sabonis isn't the shooter Vooch is at this point in his career; while the Bulls' big man is shooting a career-high 40.7 percent from three this year, Sabonis is hitting just 20.0 percent of his triples. The former Gonzaga star has shot 39.6 percent from deep over the last three seasons, but on only 1.4 attempts per game.
His inability to space the floor and relative slow-footedness make him a questionable fit in Chicago's up-tempo offense -- but the Bulls also ping the ball around and rely on constant movement, which surely makes Sabonis's playmaking enticing to head coach Billy Donovan.
The younger Sabonis helped Sacramento make the playoffs for the first time in nearly two decades in 2022-23. He started 79 games and averaged 19.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists, made his third All-Star team and was named to the All-NBA Third Team. He also finished seventh in MVP voting.
Davis may have the higher upside, but health has been a major struggle for the Chicago native. Sabonis is a reliable, all-star caliber center under team control through the 2027-28 season.
The fit is debatable and the price is likely high, but if they're going to make a move, Sabonis is a better long-term play for Karnisovas and the Bulls.