The Chicago Bulls said goodbye to DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso, two of their best and most experienced players, in the summer. It is widely expected that the organization want to part ways with Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic as well but have had a tough time receiving satisfactory trade offers.
LaVine and Vucevic have both had standout campaigns so far though and as we fast approach the February 6 trade deadline, it does look like quite a few teams are keeping an eye out on the veteran Bulls duo.
The Golden State Warriors are a team who have been linked with both LaVine and Vucevic in recent days.
While LaVine can be an excellent secondary scorer behind Stephen Curry and take some load off the 36-year-old’s shoulders, Vucevic might be a great addition at center.
While the Warriors are believed to be one of the frontrunners for Vucevic’s signature, they might not be willing to meet the Bulls’ expectations when it comes to the trade package.
According to Marc Stein’s Substack (via HoopsHype): “The Bulls continue to seek a first-round pick in exchange for former All-Star center Nikola Vucevic, league sources say. The Warriors have been at the front of the line in terms of potential Vučević suitors for weeks but, mired in a 10-20 funk that had them stuck at a lowly No. 11 in the West entering Monday’s play, have to date been unwilling to surrender more than second-round draft capital.”
Vucevic is having a solid season right now and is averaging a double-double with 19.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game while shooting an efficient 54.7% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc.
It is not hard to see why those kind of numbers have drawn the attention of teams around the league. Vucevic can make a difference, that is for sure.
Of course, one might question the idea of the Bulls wanting to trade away two of their best performers but considering their recent track record of mediocrity, it makes sense.
It is time for a change and they have already kicked off a rebuild. There is no point not going through it all the way. Unfortunately, that makes it necessary to part ways with Vuecvic and LaVine.
