Bulls, Wizards hit with harsh trade reality on Nikola Vucevic, Kyle Kuzma

The trade market is already on fire in the NBA even though the calendar hasn’t even flipped to 2025 yet. The Brooklyn Nets have been making moves, sending Dennis Schroder to the Golden State Warriors and Dorian Finney-Smith to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The moves were somewhat unsurprising considering the state of all of those teams. The Nets are not contending and therefore can get some young players, expiring contracts and draft capital in exchange for some quality veterans, and the Warriors and Lakers both need to fill out their rotation. However, the Nets did not get a first-round draft pick in either deal.

That is bad news for both the Washington Wizards and the Chicago Bulls, who will be looking to get off of some of their own bigger contracts in the coming months. Bulls center Nikola Vucevic and Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma are both on the block and are attractive options for contenders. However, the return for Schroder and Finney-Smith may be foreshadowing for what a trade package for wither Kuzma or Vucevic would look like, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

“Brooklyn’s inability to acquire a first-round pick for either Schröder or Finney-Smith highlights the challenges that Chicago and Washington face in their efforts to generate first-round trade compensation in return for Nikola Vučević and Kyle Kuzma, respectively,” Stein wrote. “The Bulls, in particular, have hoped that Vučević’s sizzling offensive season would lead to a trade offer that features at least one future first-rounder. That just might not be possible in this marketplace even with Vučević averaging 20.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game while shooting 57.3% from the field and 45.5% on 3-pointers.”

Best fits for Nikola Vucevic, Kyle Kuzma in potential trade

Nikola Vucevic is having his best season with the Bulls, averaging nearly 21 points and 10 rebounds per game while shooting 57.3% from the floor and 45.5% from 3-point range on good volume. He still struggles on defense, but he would be an instant jolt on offense for whoever trades for him.

Vucevic would fit in seamlessly on the offensive end on a number of current playoff teams. The Memphis Grizzlies could use a big man to score inside and space the floor for Ja Morant, and Vucevic would cover up a few holes for them as well. His presence would take the pressure of foul trouble off of Zach Edey, and they have Jaren Jackson Jr. to cover for Vucevic’s defensive deficiencies. The Phoenix Suns could be another team that can use Vucevic to balance out their offensive attack.

Kuzma is a player who can give a team positional size and another scorer/secondary creator on the wing. A team like the Sacramento Kings or the Golden State Warriors could use some more of everything that Kuzma brings to the table, and they both have the type of assets that the Wizards would want in a possible deal.