The Chicago Bulls have a busy offseason ahead of them as they look to figure out a way to get out of NBA purgatory. One key decision regards Nikola Vucevic and what to do with the free-agent center. He has been a productive player for them but they now have to agree to a new deal.

After playing all 82 games and averaging 17.6 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 52.0 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from deep, Vucevic is hitting the open market. The 32-year-old was one of the Bulls' key players but is also the type of player a team moves on from in the hopes of upgrading. It's hard to tell what Chicago's plan is but it seems as though they aren’t ready to blow it all up and start over.

Nikola Vucevic is expected by some NBA executives to re-sign with Chicago, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Scotto notes that losing Vucevic “would be tough from an optics perspective for Chicago” after what it took to get him. The Bulls will likely sign him for somewhere in the $20-million-per-year range.

“The belief among various NBA executives who spoke with HoopsHype is that Nikola Vucevic, one of the top free agents on the market, will re-sign with the Chicago Bulls,” writes Scotto. “Vucevic’s projected free agency value, according to those executives, is three years in the $65 million range.”

That contract would be a fair one for someone of Vucevic's age and production but it may not help the Bulls all that much. At least with the rest of the roster looking like it is, keeping Vucevic won't put them over the top. The desire to keep him stems partly from making the most of the trade they made with the Orlando Magic, which involved a good, young center in Wendell Carter Jr., the draft pick that became Franz Wagner and the 11th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

The Bulls are already losers in this trade. Losing Vucevic for nothing after just two full seasons would make this a truly disastrous deal. Keeping Vucevic seems like the best option out of a few not-so-great choices.