The offseason is here for the Chicago Bulls, and it is an important one as the team looks to return to a more competitive form in the near future. The Bulls have been stuck during the past few years as their desire to remain competitive has stopped them from achieving the ultimate goal of being a contender. When a lot of teams are in the position that the Bulls are in, they choose to tank to get a better draft pick. Chicago hasn’t done that, and it has resulted in three straight play-in tournament losses. Instead of tanking to get to where they want to be, the Bulls are going to make some trades this offseason. One of them could involve Nikola Vucevic.

Nikola Vucevic still has a lot of upside as he is relatively athletic big who can shoot the deep ball well. However, as Vucevic gets older, he doesn’t really fit in with what the Bulls are trying to build. Chicago is going after a similar approach to the Indiana Pacers, and the team is trying to build a young nucleus. There are still a lot of teams around the league that could benefit from getting a guy like Vucevic, however, so that is why we might see a trade go down this offseason.

Vucevic has been in the NBA since 2011, and he was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 16th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. Before coming to Chicago in 2020, Vucevic also spent time with the Orlando Magic. He only played for the 76ers for one season before going to the Magic, and he was in Orlando for nearly nine full seasons.

This past year was a good one for Vucevic and an important one for his draft stock. The previous season was a bit concerning as Vucevic shot under 30% from three, and that obviously made him a less attractive option. However, he turned things around and shot 40.2% from beyond the arc this year. That is an outstanding percentage, especially for a big. Vucevic finished the year averaging 18.5 points per game, 10.1 rebounds per game and 3.5 assists per game. He shot over 40% from deep and averaged a double-double. That’s pretty solid.

Nikola Vucevic is getting older as he will turn 35 in October, but he still has a few good years left in him before it’s time to call it a career. After a strong season, his stock is up, and it’s a good time for the Bulls to pull the trigger on a trade. Here are a few good destinations for Vucevic:

3. Detroit Pistons

It’s going to be interesting to see how the Pistons approach this offseason after making a surprise run to the playoffs this season. Detroit was the worst team in the league last year, but head coach JB Bickerstaff completely flipped the script during his first season. Detroit gave the New York Knicks all they could handle in the first round, but New York advanced.

Article Continues BelowThe Pistons have an incredibly talented core of young talent, but there have been some talks regarding the team trading a couple of pieces for a veteran player. A sharp-shooting big like Nikola Vucevic could be a good option to anchor the youngsters through the next few years.

2. Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers could be a good destination for Vucevic as they need to add some size to the roster if they want to help LeBron James win one last ring. LA knows that they are running out of time with James as he is nearing the end of his career, so they are going to make some moves during the offseason. It was clear during the playoff that their lack of size down low hurt them, so that will be a big priority during the offseason.

1. Golden State Warriors

There has been a lot of chatter about Nikola Vucevic ending up with the Warriors this offseason, and it seems like the most likely destination for him. The Warriors have a great core of veteran players with Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, and adding one more to the mix could be huge. The Warriors need to improve their frontcourt, and Vucevic would do just that. The Warriors came on strong after trading for Butler last season, but an injury to Curry halted their playoff run. Adding Vucevic to the mix this offseason would set the Warriors up nicely for next season.

Nikola Vucevic has been at the center of trade rumors for a couple of seasons now, but it is really starting to feel like his time with the Bulls is coming to an end. If they do decide to trade him, it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see one of these three teams in the mix.