The trade that sent Nikola Vucevic to the Chicago Bulls in 2021 represented a philosophical shift in direction of the franchise. The all-star big man demonstrated a win-now mentality from a new front office regime.
At the time, experts believed that the deal was fair. Kevin Pelton of ESPN gave the Chicago Bulls a B for the trade and the Orlando Magic a B+. The trade did not age well, that is for sure. Vucevic has been a steady and solid contributor for the franchise, but also far from a dominant inside presence to complement LaVine and DeRozan which they had hoped.
In the summer of 2023, Arturas Karnisovas had a dilemma as Vucevic headed towards free agency. The Bulls had the ability to re-ign Vooch as they held his Bird rights, and if they chose not to do so, they would be hard-pressed to find a replacement with the limited cap space and draft capital they had. Karnisosvas doubled down on his initial investment to his version of the big 3 (LaVine already had signed his extension the year prior) and hoped that with better health and a few breaks they would be able to move up the Eastern Conference standings. Vucevic would go on to receive a 3 year $60 million deal heading into the 2023-24 season.
Now just a year later, many challenges exist in the attempt to move Nikola Vucevic. He is 33 years old and his game appears to be in decline. He cannot protect the rim and he is not a lob threat, both which are more valuable in today’s NBA. He potentially could be a solid veteran back up, but the $20 million per year price tag is steep for that type of role in the new collective bargaining agreement. With all that taken into consideration, there are a few logical fits for Vucevic, but as free agency winds down most teams do not have the financial means to take on the salary. Currently, only the Utah Jazz would have the cap space to absorb a Vucevic-type contract.
Here are 3 possible solutions to the Vucevic dilemma. Each solution represents where the Bulls at as a franchise and the most practical transaction possibilities moving forward.