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The Chicago Bulls went through significant changes in 2024. After missing the playoffs for the second straight season, the Bulls moved on from DeMar DeRozan and traded away Alex Caruso. They weren’t able to find new homes for Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, so they didn’t tear it down entirely but it is certainly a new era in Chicago.
GM Arturas Karnisovas was able to retain his job against all odds and head coach Billy Donovan is still in charge to lead the Bulls in this new, developmental phase.
The Bulls are currently ninth place in the Eastern Conference and look like they will be in the Play-In mix all season. Even though that sounds like more of the same from previous years, the Bulls’ future is brighter now than it was this time last year.
Between the February 6 trade deadline and the offseason, the Bulls have two more transaction windows where they can get assets for their veterans and add more young players to their core. The following four players are unlikely to wear a Bulls uniform past 2025.
The 34-year-old center is having an unexpected renaissance this season. After having his worst offensive season of his career, Vucevic has bounced back in a massive way and playing at a near All-Star level. For the season, he is averaging 20.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while shooting an incredible 57.3% from the field and 45.5% from three.
Ironically, Vucevic playing so much better this season makes it far less likely that he will stay in Chicago. He is still a massive defensive liability, but at least he has shown that he can be a serious offensive contributor.
Vucevic makes $20 million per year and is under contract through the end of the 2025-26 season. Matching salaries for a contract of that size is not too difficult and one can easily see a team taking a chance in the veteran big man.
For the Bulls, trading Vucevic for positive value while his trade stock is higher than it will likely ever be would be a smart move. Whether that is at the trade deadline or after the season, the Bulls should strike while the iron is hot.
