New Orleans Pelicans Should Target Major Trade with the Chicago Bulls

There is a specific Chicago Bulls player the New Orleans Pelicans should try to target in trade talks.

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-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans look to have the talent necessary to compete in the Western Conference. However, there are still two major questions that need to be answered.

One of them has to do with the future of star forward Brandon Ingram. Will the team trade him or keep him? It seems likely that they would prefer to get some kind of trade done to ship him out of town.

Next up, the Pelicans have to figure out their center position. Currently, that is a major weak point and they could really use an upgrade before the season gets underway.

Could the two questions end up being answered together at the same time?

Trading Ingram to bring in a better center would make a lot of sense for New Orleans. If that is a route that they want to go, pursuing a deal with the Chicago Bulls could make a ton of sense.

Nikola Vucevic would be a very intriguing fit for the Pelicans. He can rebound, score in the paint, and step out and knock down a spot-up shot.

While he isn't very good on the defensive end of the court, the impact he could make offensively and on the glass for New Orleans would be massive.

A move sending Ingram to the Bulls in exchange for Vucevic and potentially another piece or two could make sense for both parties involved.

Looking closer at Vucevic, he is coming off of yet another quality season. He averaged 18.0 points per game to go along with 10.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists. In addition to those averages, he shot 48.4 percent from the floor and 29.4 percent from three-point range.

His three-point shooting ability is much better than last season indicates. Back in the 2022-23 season, he shot 34.9 percent from deep.

Bringing in those numbers at center would solidify the weakest point of the roster. Giving up Ingram would be tough, but they have wing players that could help replace him.

At 33 years old, Vucevic is in the final stage of his prime. He still has one year on his deal after the upcoming season. If things don't work out well, the Pelicans would not be locked in with him long-term.

All of that being said, this is purely speculation. Vucevic would make sense as a center target for New Orleans, but there is no guarantee that they have any kind of interest in him.