The Chicago Bulls have been entrenched in trade talks, but they have agreed to a contract extension for center Nikola Vucevic. The deal is for three years and $60 million, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

‘The Chicago Bulls and center Nikola Vucevic are nearing a three-year, $60 million contract extension, league sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.'

This is a big move for the Bulls with NBA free agency right around the corner. After coming over in a trade with the Orlando Magic, Vucevic has played well and now will hang around in Chicago. Vucevic spent his first seven years in Orlando before being traded at the NBA trade deadline in a massive move, and the former USC Trojans star has bee in Chicago ever since.

Vucevic averaged 17.6 PPG with 11 rebounds and played in all 82 regular season contests for the team. In his first full season in Chicago in 2021-2022, Vucevic also averaged 17.6 PPG, but he saw his field goal percentage creep up to 52 percent this past year.

The $20 million per year might be a bit surprising, so it will be interesting to see if there are any team options attached to the deal.

The Bulls do have a lot of question marks this offseason, and with Lonzo Ball likely out for next season as well, nobody knows which direction the franchise will move. Nonetheless, bringing back Vucevic isn't a surprising move, and the core of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Vucevic should be a good one to keep together in Chicago, assuming LaVine doesn't get dealt amid the flurry of rumors.