Possible Vucevic trade to the Lakers
The Bulls would prefer taking back a shorter contract and/or draft assets in exchange for Vucevic, as trading him would be a sure sign they are committed to a rebuild.
The only matching expiring contract the Lakers have is D’Angelo Russell, who is probably too much to give up for Vucevic. Rui Hachimura would be another option, though his contract does extend an extra season and the Lakers may not view Vucevic as an upgrade.
The best option may be to piece together contracts and throw some draft capital on top in exchange for the Bulls taking back deals that extend beyond next season.
Just about the only way to make it work without using Russell or Hachimura is to piece together the contracts of Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt. Vincent has two years left on his deal at $10 and 11 million and Vanderbilt has four remaining ramping from $10 to 13 million, which would be a tough contract to swallow given that he is not good.
This would allow the Lakers to add an impact talent without damaging their depth or digging into their first-round picks. They’d still have assets to make another move later in the season.
But what about the Bulls? Would this be worth it just to get rid of Vucevic?