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Nikola Vucevic, Chicago Bulls

As a rebuilding team, the Chicago Bulls will likely be open to exploring their options on the trade market. Billy Donovan’s roster is far from complete, and taking swings on high-upside talent in need of a new situation is a tried and tested method of finding potential diamonds in the rough.

In a recent trade proposal, Liam Willerup of Sports Illustrated suggested the Bulls explore the opportunity to acquire Jonathan Kuminga during the offseason. Kuminga is entering restricted free agency. Therefore, any potential deal would have to be done as a sign-and-trade.

Willerup’s trade proposal looks like this:

Bulls Get: Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga

Golden State Warriors Get: Nikola Vucevic and Ayo Dosunmu

It’s worth noting that if Chicago did acquire Kuminga via sign-and-trade, they would be hard-capped for the 2025-26 season. As such, they would be limited in any further moves they could make.

Nevertheless, Kuminga’s potential upside and postseason experience could be enough to tempt the Bulls into exploring what a deal could look like. After all, explosive wings that project to be two-way talents are rarely available, especially when they’re entering the summer after impressing in a postseason series. Kuminga’s situation is certainly unique.

Vucevic Would Solve an Issue for the Warriors

The Golden State Warriors have been short on genuine size for years. Vucevic would provide reliable presence on the glass while also being a rim deterrent. Furthermore, he would fit Steve Kerr’s five-out approach due to his ability to knock down shots on the perimeter.

During his tenure in Chicago, Vucevic shot the three-ball at a 34% clip on 3.4 attempts per game. It’s fair to assume that Vucevic could be more successful from deep when surround by the floor spacing the Warriors have to offer.

However, for any deal to be done, the Warriors would likely need Vucevic to agree (or sign) on a contract extension. He will be entering the final year of his $60 million deal next season and will become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2026.

Bulls’ Vucevic Wants to Contend

During his end-of-season media availability, Vucevic discussed his desire to contend for a championship.

“There are some good, young pieces that can be built around,” Vucevic said. “There are a lot of questions when you’re a team not fighting for the top. I have trust in them and believe they want to do what’s best and build a good team that wants to win. So we’ll see. Obviously, I’m at the stage in my career where I’m trying to win now. Play in the playoffs and hopefully have deep playoff runs. It’s a young team and it does take time. It all depends on what their timeline is and how they see this team.”

The Bulls rebuilding process will take multiple years. Vucevic doesn’t have the time to wait around for Chicago to become contenders again. Therefore, a potential move to the Warriors would suit all parties involved. Whether that deal would involve Kuminga heading to Chicago remains to be seen.

Either way, Vucevic deserves a spot on a contending roster and should be out of Chicago before the 2026 trade deadline at the latest.

Adam Taylor is a basketball reporter covering the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns for Heavy. He has also written for CelticsBlog, USA Today, Yardbarker and FanSided. Adam has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Open University. More about Adam Taylor