USC Basketball: Bulls Still Trying to Trade Trojan-Turned-All-Star

Chicago is desperate to offload the 33-year-old vet's pricey contract.

Jan 9, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view of the Chicago Bulls logo before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Chicago Bulls at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Following a decorated three-season stint with the USC Trojans, that included a pair of All-Pac-10 team appearances and an Associated Press All-American team honorable mention, 6-foot-10 center Nikola Vucevic became a highly-touted NBA prospect. He was selected with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. Vucevic logged a single, relatively unproductive season in Philadelphia before being included as part of the epic four-team deal that shipped All-NBA center Dwight Howard out to the Los Angeles Lakers, one-time All-Star center Andrew Bynum to the Sixers, and eventual Finals MVP Andre Iguodala to the Denver Nuggets, and Vucevic to the Orlando Magic.

Of those deals, surprisingly, it was Vucevic's addition that had the longest-term positive impact on any of these rosters. He blossomed into a jump-shooting All-Star with solid passing acumen and prolific rebounding ability in Orlando, albeit as the best player on some lower-seeded playoff clubs.

Vucevic was eventually traded to the Chicago Bulls near the deadline of his ninth season with the Magic. Bulls team president Arturas Karnisovas acquired the veteran big man with the hope of returning to the playoffs. Only once in his four springs with Chicago has his tenure actually yielded that.

Now Vucevic, along with fellow ex-All-Star Chicago shooting guard Zach LaVine, appears set to be traded once again. According to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, Karnisovas is hoping to flip Vucevic and the remaining $41 million owed to him through the 2025-2026 season elsewhere, along with LaVine. Cowley observes that, given that neither LaVine nor Vucevic have been dealt yet, it appears Karnisovas has yet to secure a satisfying offer.

The Bulls have already dealt their two best veteran assets: two-time All-Defensive Second Team guard Alex Caruso, in a one-for-deal deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder for guard Josh Giddey, and six-time All-Star small forward DeMar DeRozan, in three-time sign-and-trade with the San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings that saw DeRozan land in Sacramento alongside All-Star point guard De'Aaron Fox and All-Star center Domantas Sabonis.

According to Jamal Collier of ESPN, Bulls general manager Marc Eversley is aware Chicago is pivoting towards a youth movement — and Vucevic and LaVine may not be major parts of that.

"The difference is we're much younger," team general manager Marc Eversley told Collier. "Not that it's not about Zach or [Vucevic] anymore, but we're giving these young guys an opportunity to see how much they can grow."

"We're not so focused on being a top-six seed or being in the play-in," Eversley continued." We're focusing on developing this group every single day and see how much better they can get over the next year."

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