Despite finishing the regular season 15-5 and fielding one of the NBA’s best offenses, the Chicago Bulls were (humiliatingly) ousted in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament for the third consecutive season. Several roster changes need to be made this summer, and finally trading veteran center Nikola Vucevic should be at the top of the list.
That move makes even more sense now that the Bulls are locked into the No. 12 pick following tonight’s 2025 NBA Draft Lottery.
Chicago must finally find Nikola Vucevic’s long-term replacement
The Bulls gave up the third-most points per game of any team in the league in 2024-25. They also allowed the most points in the paint of all 30 teams, and it wasn’t particularly close.
The 34-year-old Vucevic put together the most efficient offensive season of his career. He shot 53.0 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from deep, helping head coach Billy Donovan transition from a half-court offense to an up-tempo scheme predicated on playing fast and shooting threes. The Bulls finished the regular season third in both 3-point takes and makes, and Vooch’s ability to space the floor played a significant role.
But the two-time All-Star is getting long in the tooth and has never had a game predicated on athleticism. He’s been a strong rebounder throughout his 14-year career, but no one would ever mistake him for a rim protector.
That’s a transition the Bulls have to make this offseason: Move on from a skilled center and find an athletic, shot-altering lob threat.
It would have been easier to make that roster change had Chicago vaulted up the lottery standings like the Dallas Mavericks, but Duke’s Khaman Maluach is an obvious target. His tantalizing upside may prevent him from sliding to the 12th pick, however.
South Carolina’s Collin Murray-Boyles or Georgia’s Asa Newell are other prospects who fit that same archetype, or VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas could trade down to accumulate more picks and address his team’s need later in the draft.
Regardless of how the board shakes out on draft night, “trade Nikola Vucevic” should be the first box checked off of the Bulls Offseason To-Do List. Now that the front office knows where it’ll be picking on June 25, scouting his long-term replacement should be that much easier.