Analyst grades re-signing of Nikola Vucevic by the Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls' offseason moves are topics of intense discussion for both experts and fans. One move, in particular, has been the team's re-signing of center Nikola Vucevic to a three-year deal reportedly worth $60 million.

While many advocated for the Bulls to hit the reset button, the team's decision-makers doubled down on their path of continuity. One of their first moves of the off-season was to bring back the veteran big man. Still, Zach Buckley has his doubts about this decision and elected to grade it as a "C+."

Probably past his prime

In his prime, the two-time All-Star was one of the league's elite rebounders, capable of doing damage both inside and outside the three-point arc. His last season with the Orlando Magic in 2021 saw him average a career-high 24.5 points and 11.8 rebounds. He also shot over 40 percent from three-point land, connecting on almost three attempts per game. The problem is that those days are behind him.

"At 32 years old—33 in October—he is probably past his prime, and even at his peak, he faced fairly significant defensive limitations due to limited lateral quickness and a lack of life," Buckley wrote.

Couldn't afford to let him walk

It appears that the Bulls just couldn't afford to let the double-double machine walk away. After all, it wasn't too long ago when the Bulls paid a king's ransom to acquire Vooch in 2021. The price they paid? Their once promising big man Wendell Carter and two first-round draft picks, one of which became Franz Wagner, a talented wingman who made the 2022 All-Rookie squad.

"It's possible, then, the Bulls simply felt pot-committed to the scoring center. After all, they paid a hefty sum to land him in March 2021, sending a package to the Orlando Magic that included two-way center Wendell Carter Jr. and a pair of first-round picks that wound up delivering Franz Wagner and Jett Howard. Maybe Chicago just didn't like the optics of letting Vucevic walk after sacrificing so much to bring him onboard," Buckley added.