Bulls Trade Rumors: Nikola Vučević Also Shopped amid Zach LaVine Buzz Ahead of NBA FA
June 27, 2024
As the Chicago Bulls continue to look for deals for Zach LaVine, the team is reportedly also shopping center Nikola Vučević, per Action Network's Matt Moore.
"The Bulls are known to be looking to move Nikola Vucevic, along with the never-ending Zach LaVine saga," he wrote. "The [Alex] Caruso trade both helps and hurts those efforts because Caruso's contract was a quality lubricant for teams willing to take on those contracts, which now isn't available."
Vučević, who is entering the second year of a three-year, $60 million contract, averaged 18 points and 10.5 rebounds per game last season, marking his seventh consecutive season averaging a double-double.
The Bulls' desire to trade the 33-year-old continues their push to seemingly get younger and enter a rebuilding stage.
Last week's trade that sent All-NBA defender Caruso to Oklahoma City for a 21-year-old Josh Giddey was Chicago's first step in building a younger roster, and trading away Vučević and LaVine would further establish that goal.
What's more, the Bulls seem as if they could let All-Star DeMar DeRozan walk in free agency this offseason. Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report reported Wednesday that Chicago and the small forward have yet to have talks about an extension as the team focuses on moving LaVine and other pieces.
The Bulls have been caught in a stream of mediocrity for much of the last decade, reaching the playoffs just twice since 2016 and failing to win a series since the 2014-2015 season.
While it has several solid pieces in LaVine, DeRozan and Vučević, those three haven't led to much success for Chicago. Shifting toward a complete rebuild could lead to a brighter future than the Bulls relying on their current group of veterans.
