Chicago Bulls Land $91 Million Cleveland Cavaliers Player in Nikola Vucevic Trade Pitch
The Chicago Bulls are looking to hit the reset button. That is pretty much an open secret at this point after they parted ways with two of their most experienced players, DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso. It is easy to see why the Bulls might have decided that it is time to shake things up. They have made the playoffs once in the past seven seasons.
They have not been competitive for a lot longer. The Bulls last made the conference finals in Derrick Rose’s MVP season and the NBA Finals when Michael Jordan won his sixth ring with the franchise.
If any rebuild is to be a success, there are two more players they need to find new homes for.
A lot has been made about the situation of Zach LaVine and to be fair to him, his trade value seems to be on the rise after a solid preseason. The other player we are talking about is Nikola Vucevic. The two-time All-Star seems to be on the decline and at 33 years of age, he does not fit the Bulls’ timeline. Michael Pina suggested a trade in the article ’22 Increasingly Bold Predictions for the 2024-25 NBA Season’ on The Ringer, which would see the Bulls receive Jarrett Allen while the Cleveland Cavaliers would get Vucevic, two unprotected first-round picks, and two pick swaps. Pina wrote explaining the idea: “If you’re the Bulls, why not? Your defense is about to be atrocious (see above) and you’re frantic for useful cogs who know how to win and can function in almost any environment.
“It’s slightly more complicated for the Cavaliers, but what if Vucevic can bounce back from a down year and, at 34, start hitting 3s again? He’s a skilled big who’d function well on both ends next to Mobley. And if Chicago is willing to fork over two first-round picks, Cleveland would have to engage.” Allen signed a three-year, $90.7 million extension with the Cavs not too long ago. He can’t be traded until January 27. Allen is a one-time All-Star and a consistent double-double threat, just like Vucevic. What he does not bring to the table though is three-point shooting but at 26 years of age, he fits the Bulls’ timeline a lot better.
