There's a lot going on within the Utah Jazz organization right now and the prospect of blowing up the squad has emerged as a noteworthy narrative of late. Three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner Rudy Gobert could be on his way out of Utah and one of the teams that have been linked to the Jazz star is none other than the Chicago Bulls.
While Gobert's potential arrival in Chicago would provide a significant upgrade on the defensive end, it could also put the status of starting center Nikola Vucevic in jeopardy. Bulls insider K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago recently discussed this potential issue on a recent episode of the Bulls Talk Podcast, and apparently, he doesn't believe that the Gobert rumors have legs. Johnson's sources also claim that for his part, Vucevic believes he's not going anywhere:
“I, personally, have not put a lot of stock into these rumors … There is a lot of noise out there. It’s certainly fair to speculate what the Jazz might do. Before, I personally made a couple of calls on the topic, and I was told that there’s not much going on right now,” Johnson said (h/t Elias Schuster of Bleacher Nation). “Things can obviously change in this league – always change in this league. I can also tell you, from my understanding, Nikola Vucevic is under the impression he’s going to be here.”
It is worth noting, however, that Vucevic is going to be entering the final year of his deal this coming season. The Bulls will need to offer him an extension soon unless they want to risk the possibility of the 6-foot-10 center walking away next summer. The other option, of course, would be to trade him now while they can still get significant value out of a potential deal.
Follow Us
Subscribe