The Chicago Bulls have bit the bullet on a full-fledged rebuild. Since the days of Derrick Rose wowing with MVP awards, the team hasn’t torn it all down. The team has at least one All-Star caliber player on the roster every season. However, after repeated disappointments in the last three NBA seasons, the team is breaking down its All-Star cast.
With a flurry of activity in the offseason, Chicago has made its future clear. Instead of supercharging their rebuild with a bunch of signings, they will take a much more patient approach this time. However, one puzzle piece doesn’t add up yet, as Zach Lavine remains on their books. Even though the Bulls have been working hard to trade him, the market value keeps dropping.
While Lavine hasn’t garnered interest from any truly contending teams, he is good enough to string together a few wins. The same goes for veteran Nikola Vucevic, who remains with the team. Zach’s contract is for three years and nearly $138 million, whereas Nikola is serving his two-year, $41.5 million extension.
However, trades for neither player have come to fruition. Instead, Chicago continues to tread no man’s land where the two are concerned. For Lavine, each season and progressive injury has given teams cause for concern. And Vucevic has seen a mighty fall off. What was once a coveted center has become a significant burden for the Windy City.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, Chicago Bulls Updates
As a slow-moving defensive liability, Vucevic’s main allure was the offense, where his shooting and dynamic playmaking made him a net positive. However, his shooting has gone through a major regression. As a result, teams defend him far more conservatively, limiting the playmaking opportunities of before.
So far, this offseason has been the perfect summer for the Bulls to accept their reality. But trading these two contracts is the final piece of the puzzle. There are rumors of the Bulls parting ways with picks and assets to make any future deals work. However, in that instance, nothing has materialized yet.
The first domino to fall for Chicago was exchanging Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey in a swap. That move was the final straw for DeMar DeRozan, desperately seeking a trade. Immediately, the team found a new destination for him in Sacramento, netting a former first-round pick in Chris Duarte in return.
Since then, resigning Patrick Williams and getting Jalen Smith in free agency has further bolstered the youth movement in the house that Michael Jordan built.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, Chicago Bulls Updates
In addition, the draft was wholly beneficial for the Bulls, who got former projected first-overall pick and Chicago kid Matas Buzelis. Names like Ayo Dosunmu and MIP candidate Coby White are other players in the under-25 range who should give the team and fans some optimism about the future.
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