The Chicago Bulls need a roster shake up but don’t have many ways to do it unless they can unload some of their most burdensome contracts.
Trading Zach LaVine should be priority number one, and if the Bulls can find a way to get out from under his deal without taking too much money back, they can relieve some of their financial problems and start to rebuild.
But they’d also love to unload Nikola Vucevic as well according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times (Subscription), a task that might not be as daunting as moving LaVine but won’t be easy.
Chicago Bulls: Trading Nikola Vucevic
Trading for Vucevic was a move the Bulls probably never should have made, as they gave up a young center who can give you most of what Vucevic provides (without the 3-point shooting) along with two future first-round picks.
The Bulls won’t get that kind of return if they trade Vucevic now, as he is 33, has lost a step on defense and saw his 3-point percentage plummet to under 30 percent this season.
He also still has two years left on his contract at $20 and $21 million, not a terrible number for a guy who is going to give you 18/10 and has mostly been durable in his career.
When you look at the teams with the most cap space this summer, Detroit stands out as a team that might want a floor-spacing center, but they already have two young bigs in Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart.
The Thunder could potentially need more depth at center and have a heap of draft picks and assets to use, but they could also choose to make a splash elsewhere.
Vucevic is still a productive player, but given his pending decline, might be better suited to be a backup at this point in his career or paired with another elite defensive big, which brings to mind a team like the Memphis Grizzlies, who could use some additional big-man depth.
There will be potential trades out there for the Bulls, but they may not like the return, which may push them towards running it back with a similar roster, prolonging the inevitable and keeping them stuck in mediocrity.