It could be the year when the Chicago Bulls actually trade Nikola Vučević before the deadline, as he's on an expiring contract. The 35-year-old center is putting on quite the audition, averaging 20.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game in January, shooting 53.6% from the field and 375.% from three.
To be clear, though, Chicago is past the point of getting anything of real value in return for Vučević, but there isn't a need to keep him around for the rest of the season. Yes, the Bulls are in play-in territory in the East (are you surprised?), but this isn't a team built to contend.
Why not see what you can get for him, considering he isn't (or shouldn't be) part of the future? Maybe, for once, the Bulls could be the team to take advantage of someone else's desperation. We're looking at you, Warriors. They have Al Horford now, but he hasn't been who they need him to be. Trying out Vučević for the second half of the season wouldn't be a bad idea, but they have other things on their mind right now, like Jonathan Kuminga.
None of this is to say that Vučević still can't be a valuable player, as he's shown that he can be (and it's a plus that he's durable), but more so that it's finally time to move on. Let him go somewhere he can potentially help a team win something.
Will the Bulls trade Nikola Vučević before the deadline?
In case you haven't realized, the answer to that question should be yes. A trade won't net Chicago a first-round pick, but even a second-round pick is better than nothing. No one should expect the Bulls to get any sort of "haul" for Vučević, anyway.
He's done the front office a favor with his performances as of late, dropping a season-high 35 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two blocks in a win over the Jazz. No matter that it was just a two-point win, and that it was just against Utah.
Teams are aware of what kind of player Vučević is at this stage in his career. What you see is what you get from him. Ignore his defense, and all will be well.
In all seriousness, though, we should be nearing the end of the Vučević era in the Windy City, as less than three weeks are remaining until the deadline. Let's see what the Bulls can pull off. Admittedly, knowing this front office, that's a little scary, but this isn't a complicated situation.