Nikola Vucevic vocal on trade rumors amid Bulls rebuild
09/07/2024 01:07 AM
The Chicago Bulls have finally decided to stop living in denial. Earlier this offseason, they faced the fact that a rebuild is necessary to put an end to the cycle of mediocrity they’ve been in over the past few seasons, and as a result, they traded away Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Josh Giddey and then they let DeMar DeRozan go to the Sacramento Kings in free agency via a sign-and-trade.
But it doesn’t appear as though the Bulls are done making moves. They still have a few veteran players on the roster who could be of help to winning teams, such as Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. But at this point, Vucevic is already completely numb to his involvement in trade rumors, as it feels as though he hasn’t been off the trade block in quite some time.
“I mean, honestly, I'm used to it at this point. Since I've been with the Bulls, I've been in a lot of trade stories, especially last summer as well throughout last season. So it's just part of it,” Vucevic said in an interview with NBA insider Marc Stein.
Nikola Vucevic acknowledged that being a veteran player who’s already 33 years of age on a rebuilding team makes him a magnet for trade rumors. The Bulls, of course, did not envision that things would go the way they have over the past two seasons. Losing Lonzo Ball was the beginning of the end for Chicago, as they couldn’t get back to being a consistent winning team following his knee troubles.
“Like I said before, if things were going well and we're winning and everything was great, that wouldn't be the case. But because things weren't going that well, we weren't winning and we weren't achieving our goals, then obviously change is bound to happen,” Vucevic added.
But at the end of the day, everything is a business for Vucevic, and nothing would surprise him anymore. After all, change is simply embedded within the nature of the NBA.
“Honestly, I know it's a pretty basic answer, but you don't have much control over it, so you kind of just wait and see. If they decide to change and trade me, it's on them to do. Just like a year and a half ago I was a free agent and I could have chosen to go elsewhere. It's just the way this business works and so now we'll see.”
Can Bulls center Nikola Vucevic still contribute to winning basketball?
Over the past decade or so, Nikola Vucevic has been one of the most consistent double-double threats in the entire association. But Vucevic’s playstyle hasn’t exactly led to much success. The Orlando Magic were a fringe playoff team for most of his tenure, which is why it was a bit confounding when the Bulls traded a plethora of quality assets — including Wendell Carter Jr. and the draft pick that became Franz Wagner — for the Montenegrin big man.
Vucevic has been in clear decline; like with Zach LaVine, the Bulls may not get too many assets in exchange for the 33-year-old big man, if any at all. The Memphis Grizzlies may be the most logical trade partner for Vucevic, as they have Jaren Jackson Jr. to help cover for whatever deficiencies Vucevic may have on the defensive end of the floor.
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