It was just two years ago that the Chicago Bulls traded for Nikola Vucevic at the trade deadline. The move sparked a movement in Chicago, as the following summer, they signed DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso, signaling a new era of Bulls basketball. The rebuild was over, and Chicago was ready to compete.
Unfortunately, their plans didn’t work out. Since then, they have one playoff appearance to show for their moves and were eliminated in the Play-In Tournament this past year. Now, with Vucevic being an unrestricted free agent this summer, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic believes his time in Chicago needs to be up.
Vucevic put together a solid season this past year, but at 32 years old, his next contract will likely take him into his mid-30s. As penned by Mayberry, “the experiment” with Vucevic in Chicago should come to an end, and the Bulls should look to improve their roster in other ways.
“But seriously, I think the Vooch experiment needs to end for both sides,” Mayberry wrote. “If a sign-and-trade can be found, great, although I have doubts. A quality floor general is of utmost importance. I’ve always liked Tyus Jones’ smarts. But he has one year remaining on his deal with the Grizzlies, and he might be needed even more all of a sudden in Memphis. And get a shooter. Any shooter. It doesn’t matter. Pick one. Bring him in.”
Some may be ready to take things a step further and urge the Bulls to trade Zach LaVine and/or DeRozan, but if Chicago looks to retool their roster this summer, which they should, parting ways with Vucevic would be the logical place to start.
