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"We feel we have enough" - Nikola Vucevic hopes the team would keep core past the trade deadline
With the NBA trade deadline only a few days away, the rumor mill is in full swing, and teams’ front offices are working hard behind the scenes to improve their rosters for a playoff push. However, for the Chicago Bulls, starting center Nikola Vucevic hopes that the team will hold onto their core players.
The Bulls sit at 23-27 at the 50-game mark, good for ninth in the Eastern Conference. Although the team has been bit by the injury bug—the latest casualty being Zach LaVine, who is out for the remainder of the season after opting to undergo surgery to repair his ailing right foot—Vooch believes the team has the right personnel to make some noise.
Bulls have enough
With LaVine out for the season and Patrick Williams still in sick bay due to an injured foot, the Bulls must rely on one another to get back in playoff contention. Vucevic is confident that the team has enough talent and depth to make a push for the postseason.
“We feel we have enough,” Vooch said.
“We have a lot of stuff we can do better on the court. We’ve also had some stuff, like injuries, that’s unfortunate to deal with. But I believe we have enough.”
Regardless of how Vucevic feels about what the team must do at the trade deadline, the Bulls’ front office should ponder making moves to raise the profile and ceiling of this once-proud franchise. Although the Bulls have talented veterans and up-and-coming young studs, the product on the floor shows something is amiss.
This could potentially be a turning point for the franchise, as they have been stuck in mediocrity for several years now. The Bulls have a chance to change course a few days from now. The only question is, will their captain make the call to do it?
Trade rumors no longer affect Vucevic
Hearing your name can be unsettling for young players. It makes them wonder if they are really valued by the team or just a trade chip to be thrown around. But for Vucevic, this is nothing new.
Vooch has been in the league for more than 10 years now and has seen his name come up in trade talks multiple times. In fact, he was part of a blockbuster deal that sent him from Orlando to Chicago in 2021. However, Vucevic has not let these rumors affect his game.
“I think when you’re younger, it affects you a little more. You think, like, ‘Oh, I’m not good enough. They don’t like me.’ You put too much thought into it,” Vooch said.
“I think as you get older, you just understand it’s part of the business side. Teams are going to make the best decision it feels for them. That’s their job. And your job is to go on the court and play to the best of your ability to help the team win.”
