Bulls rumors: Chicago could trade up for big man of the future

Would the Bulls trade Nikola Vucevic? 

The Bulls are reportedly open to trading Nikola Vucevic and trading up in the draft would be a sign that time has come. 

It’s possible Chicago would just keep the veteran center and use Clingan in a smaller role initially while they wait out the final two years of Vucevic's contract. Clingan does compensate defensively for some of Vucevic’s weaknesses, so you could argue for keeping them as a duo splitting minutes. 

But you don’t normally trade up for a player to put him on the bench, so it would be more likely for Chicago to ramp up their attempts at trading Vucevic, which could be easier after the dust has settled from the draft and free agency when there are teams still looking for help. 

What about Andre Drummond? 

If the Bulls were to land Clingan and trade Vucevic (we are getting into unlikely territory here) then bringing back Drummond on a fair deal to be the primary backup makes sense. 

He’s durable and reliable off the bench and has shown he can impact games in limited minutes, which would make Clingan the primary man down low.

Given the Bulls reluctance to make major change, it’s doubtful any of these things happen, but there is a world in which the Bulls land their big man of the future, which would add some much-needed young talent without completely blowing up the roster.