The Chicago Bulls made one of the first big moves of the 2024 offseason when they acquired Josh Giddey in a trade that sent Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder. A big offseason is looming for the Bulls, with early signs pointing to a possible rebuild. One of the next dominoes to fall could be Nikola Vucevic, whom the Bulls are reportedly looking to trade, per Matt Moore of Action Network.
Moore reports “The Bulls are known to be looking to move Nikola Vucevic, along with the never-ending Zach LaVine saga. The Caruso trade both helps and hurts those efforts because Caruso's contract was a quality lubricant for teams willing to take on those contracts, which now isn't available.”
A four-time All-Star, Nikola Vucevic just completed his third full season with the Bulls since the trade with the Orlando Magic back during the 2020-21 season. This past year, Vucevic appeared in 76 games for Chicago at a little over 34 minutes per game. He averaged 18.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists with splits of 48.4 percent shooting from the field, 29.4 percent shooting from the three-point line and 82.2 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
While Vucevic's counting stats still look solid, his three-point shooting has tanked and he has lost a step, hurting the Bulls on the defensive end. Chicago went just 39-43 this past season after giving the veteran big man a three-year, $60 million contract last offseason. The Bulls lost to the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament for a second consecutive season, leading to Arturas Karnisovas promising change to the roster.
Moore doesn't name any potential suitors for Vucevic, but the Golden State Warriors could be an intriguing option given they're looking to move Chris Paul and/or Andrew Wiggins. Ironically enough, the Thunder could use help in the frontcourt, though they reportedly have their eyes on Isaiah Hartenstein. The Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans all drafted young centers, but perhaps they'd also prefer a more veteran presence. The Pelicans in particular are about to lose Jonas Valanciunas in free agency.
Bulls appear headed towards a rebuild
Following the 2024 NBA Draft, the Bulls indeed appear to be on track for a rebuild this offseason. They held a lottery pick in the draft and used it on Chicago-native Matas Buzelis of the G League Ignite.
Buzelis played in 26 games during the G League regular season at a little over 32 minutes per game. He averaged 14.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.1 blocked shots with splits of 44.8 percent shooting from the field, 27.3 percent shooting from the three-point line and 67.9 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Even before this pick, Chicago's offseason plans were likely revealed with the Alex Caruso trade. The Bulls acquired Josh Giddey, a player who could still have untapped potential but who fell out of favor in Oklahoma City during the playoffs. With Giddey set to head to the bench, he wanted a trade and got one, with the Thunder landing one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA in the process.
Chicago is also reportedly looking to trade Zach LaVine. And when it comes to NBA free agency, DeMar DeRozan is an unrestricted free agent and could be on his way out. When it comes to the Bulls' future, it appears as if they envision a group that includes Giddey, Buzelis and Coby White leading the way.
A move towards a rebuild would mark a stark contrast from the previous years in which Chicago seemed content to be stuck in no-man's land. That is a team without any serious playoff aspirations, but a team that was not bad enough to secure high draft picks and trigger a true rebuild.
If the Bulls move on from DeRozan, trade LaVine and deal away Vucevic, it will be a full rebuilding process ahead of the Cooper Flagg draft in 2025. Chicago owes a top-10 protected first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs in 2025, so there's added incentive to rebuild.
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