Bulls Get Bad News on Potential Nikola Vucevic Trade Amid Rival’s Rumored Interest

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Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Chicago Bulls looks to make a play against the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Chicago Bulls have been searching for trade partners to take Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic off their hands. LaVine’s play this season has started to re-ignite buzz around him. But Vucevic had yet to see similar movement with his trade market.

However, The Stein Line’s Marc Stein reacted to reports that the Phoenix Suns have “interest” in Vucevic. He notes they could have an “obvious pathway” to completing a trade.

That would be great for the Bulls, who would land center Jusuf Nurkic in the deal.

“The Suns are said to be interested in Chicago’s Nikola Vučević and would seem to have an obvious pathway to making the Bulls an offer by attaching draft compensation to the contract of Jusuf Nurkić,” Stein wrote on December 26.”

“The Phoenix Suns have been actively looking to trade starting center Jusuf Nurkic, league sources informed The Arizona Republic,” Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin wrote on December 24. “The Suns (14-14) are seeking a big in return, the sources said. The team has been playing Mason Plumlee, rookie Oso Ighodaro and Nurkic at the five position. Washington Wizards big Jonas Valančiūnas and Chicago Bulls big Nikola Vucevic are two players whose names have been reportedly thrown into league trade talks.”

Rankin noted the Bulls are seeking a first-round pick in a trade for Vucevic, per Stein and Jake Fischer for The Stein Line.

“After failing to extract any draft compensation from Oklahoma City in its Alex Caruso-for-Josh Giddey swap in June, Chicago is said to be seeking a first-round pick to part with center Nikola Vučević,” Stein and Fischer wrote for The Stein Line on December 14. “Do the Bulls have the resolve to hold out for a first-rounder?”

Bulls Cannot Reacquire Former 1st-Round Pick From Suns Via Trade Just Yet

Vucevic is in Year 2 of a three-year, $60 million contract. The Bulls drafted Nurkic with the No. 16 overall in the 2014 draft. He is in Year 3 of a four-year, $70 million pact. But there is a significant problem.

One that is impacting more than just the Bulls around the league.

“The new rules, however, prevent Phoenix from taking back more cash in a trade than it sends out. Nurkić is playing on 2024-25 salary of $18.1 million. Vučević is making $20 million this season. That’s an easy match under the NBA’s longstanding old rules, but the Suns can’t swap Nurkić for Vučević now even if they were willing to attach every ounce of draft capital they possess. They also can’t combine salaries in any trade, which rules out adding a minimum salary to the deal to ensure they exceed Vučević’s $20 million,” Stein wrote.

“You absolutely, positively do not want to see your favorite team land in the second apron. The team-building restrictions are relentless.”

The Suns are more than $31 million over the second apron, per Spotrac. That is the most in the NBA. Finding the requisite deals to fit Vucevic would only further deplete their roster. The issue also underscores the corner the Bulls have painted themselves into while seeking a trade.

Bulls Overpaid Nikola Vucevic

The Bulls received criticism after extending Vucevic without letting him test free agency. They were also criticized for acquiring from the Orlando Magic in 2021.

“They gave Nikola Vucevic a three-year, $60 million deal that no one else was going to be giving him,” said Fischer on the “No Cap Room” podcast in July. “That didn’t exactly draw strong praise from people around the NBA.”

Vucevic is enjoying a bounce-back season.

But his age, salary, and the deficiencies in his game – specifically on defense – have made him difficult to trade for the Bulls.