Bulls News

Unexpected News on Potential Trade for Two-Time NBA All-Star

The Chicago Bulls have a lot to figure out with Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic

Joey Linn

May 7, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) celebrates his three point basket against the Boston Celtics with center Nikola Vucevic (9) during the second half at United Center.
May 7, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) celebrates his three point basket against the Boston Celtics with center Nikola Vucevic (9) during the second half at United Center. / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
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While the Chicago Bulls were able to part ways with DeMar DeRozan via a sign and trade, the team still has some big pieces to move before they can fully enter a rebuild. Much of the reporting since DeRozan's departure has been about Zach LaVine and his un-tradable contract, but Chicago also has to figure out Nikola Vucevic's situation.

A two-time NBA All-Star, Vucevic is a productive but flawed NBA center that no longer fits Chicago's timeline. This would make a trade this summer feel like an inevitability, but according to NBA insider Marc Stein, a Vucevic deal is more likely during the season than the summer.

"Vucevic should be far easier for Chicago to trade given that he has just two seasons left on his contract at a total slightly above $41 million … and with proven big men harder to find. The early indications, though, suggest that a move involving the 33-year-old is more likely to materialize during the season than before it," Stein wrote via his Substack.

This is somewhat unexpected, as Chicago's plan entering the summer was seemingly to tear down this iteration of their roster, but it seems they may only be able to begin that process this offseason. Assuming they cannot deal LaVine and Vucevic this summer, the best case scenario for Chicago is both players starting off next season well (preferably in competitive losses), which then entices opposing teams to deal for them.

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Joey Linn

JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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