Nikola Vucevic knew the Bulls’ version of a “Big Three” had a shelf life.
Guess what finally turned up stale last month?
Now very little is safe.
Vucevic spoke about that when the Bulls began training camp in Nashville, Tennessee, back in October, insisting that the 2023-24 campaign could very well be the last go for himself, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, and again spoke about it following the play-in loss to Miami two weeks ago.
“It’s very disappointing that we came up short,” Vucevic said. “Another year that we go home early. It’s definitely frustrating. We all wanted to play in the playoffs, we had a good chance at it. For us as a whole the goal was to get to the playoffs. We didn’t achieve it again.
“The front office has a lot of stuff happening this summer that they have to look at and decide. There are guys in free agency and things like that, so that’s more up to them.”
It is, and it seems like vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas is finally prepared to act on it rather than explain it away as “continuity” and “competitiveness.”
While the Sun-Times and multiple media outlets have reported that moving LaVine this offseason remains priority one, a source also said that Vucevic would be shopped as well. The reality of the situation, however, is that both players could be tough to move.
Vucevic, 33, specifically is still owed $20 million next season and $21 million in the final year of his deal for the 2025-26 season, and is coming off this year in which he struggled from three-point range (29.4%) and looked to further slow down on the defensive end.
“I’m going to look at my season as a whole and see what I did well, what I didn’t do well,” Vucevic said. “The one thing that sticks out is obviously my three-point shooting wasn’t great. That’s something I will look at to see why. I didn’t do it well, whether I was overthinking it or whatever, but as a whole look at everything.”
Will he have that chance to do that deep dive as a Bull? That’s where it will get very interesting for the veteran and the organization.
CENTER BREAKDOWN
WHAT THE BULLS HAVE: Vucevic, Andre Drummond, Adama Sanogo
WHO COULD BE ON THE MOVE: Vucevic will be put out on the trade market, but won’t be easy to unload, while Drummond is a free agent and has likely played his last game with the Bulls. Sanogo had some interesting moments as a two-way contract player but remains developmental at best if he returns.
THE DRAFT: Before the lottery jumbles things up, the Bulls currently sit at No. 11 of one of the weakest drafts since the 2013 class was headlined by Anthony Bennett. That doesn’t mean there’s not a gem in there – Giannis Antetokounmpo was found at No. 15 in that ’13 class – but it’s about hitting on the right guy.
The Bulls have just a 2% chance to land the first pick and a 77.6% chance to stay at No. 11, and would love the chance to draft UConn big man Donovan Clingan, but he will likely be gone in the top seven. Could Kyle Filipowski or Zach Edey be in play? It might be too early for both.
FREE AGENCY: Nic Claxton would fix a lot of the defensive issues the Bulls have at the rim, but the cap has Karnisovas & Co. completely handcuffed in making any big splashes in free agency. It’s small moves at best, which means shopping at the Mo Bamba store if they do want to add depth outside the draft.
WILDCARD PREDICTION: Karnisovas tries to move Vucevic but can’t find a trade partner. Drummond is signed by Philadelphia in free agency for a second showing in the City of Brotherly Love, while the Bulls panic in the draft when they can’t move up for Clingan and settle for Filipowski.
