Nikola Vucevic's Future With Chicago Bulls Remains A Mystery
Spending almost his entire career with the Orlando Magic, two-time All-Star center Nikola Vucevic found himself a part of one of the biggest trades made during the 2020-21 season when he was dealt to the Chicago Bulls.
In exchange for Vucevic and veteran forward Al-Farouq Aminu, the Bulls sent Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr. and two first-round picks to Orlando. The first-round picks Chicago sent in 2021 turned into Franz Wagner and the Magic will be getting the Bulls’ 2023 first-round pick as well.
This was an “all-in” move by the Chicago Bulls in attempts to capitalize on their immediate future with other stars such as Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and recent second overall pick Lonzo Ball.
Making the playoffs for the first time since the 2016-17 season a year ago, things were looking really good for the Bulls heading into this season, but the franchise has stalled out and is now on the brink of missing the playoffs yet again.
Right now at 28-33 on the season, Chicago is currently fighting just to get into the Play-In Tournament region of the Eastern Conference standings and injuries have really derailed their chances of being contending threats. Lonzo Ball continues to deal with knee pain and discomfort stemming from meniscus surgery a season ago, Zach LaVine has not looked like himself this season and DeMar DeRozan has been banged up all year long.
As for Nikola Vucevic, he truly has been one of the bright spots for the Bulls, as he has played in all 61 games to this point in the season and has fully embraced his role as being this team’s third star player.
Despite the many critics he may have, Vucevic has been everything the Bulls have wanted, yet they have been very indecisive about his future.
In the final year of his contract, the 32-year-old center is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. The Bulls did not extend his contract earlier this season, as the general belief around the league was that the franchise was keeping their options open with the veteran big man heading into the trade deadline, but they did not really entertain any serious offers for Vucevic this season.
Appearing on a recent episode of The Fast Break Podcast, Julia Poe from The Chicago Tribune talked about Nikola Vucevic’s future in Chicago and whether or not the organization will retain Vucevic long-term.
“It is so interesting to think where this team is going to go in the offseason because they have continued to beat the same drum of what they’ve wanted for so long,” Poe stated. “They’ve stayed true to their word long enough to the point where if this team keeps talking about consistency, I don’t actually know when that is going to change. They need to look elsewhere in the offseason and if they do buy back into Vucevic, they will need to move other pieces to make that offensive make more sense for him because it is just not doing enough right now to capitalize on Vucevic’s value.”
Averaging 17.8 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 51.4 percent from the floor, it is hard to understand why Nikola Vucevic is taking the blame for what has transpired in Chicago this season. He has done everything this franchise has needed him to do since they acquired him, which is why it would be worthwhile for the Bulls to extend his contract.
However, if the Bulls are going to look to take a step back and rebuild by possibly exploring the trade market for both DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, maybe letting Vucevic walk in free agency or keeping him on a one-year or two-year deal would be the best scenario.
Lonzo Ball’s injury definitely limits Chicago’s ability to make a big move to upgrade their roster in the offseason since he is tying up about $20 million in cap space heading into next season and with their three All-Stars on the roster, the Bulls are left with nothing other than their mid-level exception to add talent via free agency.
This is where the Bulls’ problems lie right now and why figuring things out with Vucevic is tough. He is not their problem whatsoever, but the team really cannot make a move to keep him yet until they know what their plan in the offseason is.
It is a very real possibility that Nikola Vucevic enters the summer as an unrestricted free agent, but everything points to the Bulls wanting to keep him for now.
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