Surprisingly, the Chicago Bulls boast one of the better center rotations in the Eastern Conference. A rather easy case can be made that the Bulls’ trio of Nikola Vučević, Jalen Smith, and Zach Collins ranks in the top half of the East’s best center lineups.

Vučević is a walking double-double, even at 34 years old. He’s one of the better floor-spacing bigs and an underrated passer whose post-playmaking routinely goes unnoticed. Vooch averaged 18.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists a season ago—his fourth time clearing such marks.

Smith signed a three-year, $27 million pact with the Bulls last offseason after averaging 9.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.0 three-pointers at a 42.4 percent clip in only 17.2 minutes per contest. In his first year in the Windy City, Stix totaled 8.2 points and 5.6 boards in merely 15.0 minutes per game. The 25-year-old has proven to be one of the most effective low-maintenance bigs in the league.

Zach Collins exceeded expectations in Chicago

Lastly, Collins arrived in Chicago even more recently than Smith. He’s suited up for only 28 games for the Bulls following a midseason trade. Nevertheless, Collins had a profoundly impactful late-season stint in Chicago, despite his brief tenure. He averaged 8.6 points, grabbed 6.7 rebounds, and dished out 2.1 assists in less than 20 minutes per game.

However, Collins’ counting stats don’t paint the full picture. First and foremost, the Bulls were 10.0 points per 100 possessions better defensively with Collins on the floor—his double-digit efficiency differential ranked in the 98th percentile. This eye-opening statistic comes after Collins ranked in the fifth percentile in on/off defensive efficiency with the San Antonio Spurs to begin the season.

The 6-foot-11 big man placed third on the Bulls in net rating, behind only fellow midseason acquisition Kevin Huerter and now-former Bull Lonzo Ball. He’s clearly an integral part of the Bulls’ immediate success, but his role in Chicago’s future is anything but set in stone.

Collins will turn 28 years old in November, making him the third-oldest player on the roster. Furthermore, he’ll play next season on the last year of the two-year, $35 million contract extension he signed with the Spurs in 2023. His 28-game run with the Bulls exceeded expectations, but he was technically only a salary-matching component in Chicago’s decision to dump Zach LaVine’s salary.

The Bulls must exhibit Zach Collins as a trade chip

Still, regardless of how effective he was last season, Collins is deserving of a spot in the Bulls’ rotation. Even if his strong late-season performance doesn’t carry over into this season, his role in Chicago’s lineup should be etched in stone. Not necessarily because he’s an impactful player (we know he is), but because he’s playing this upcoming season on an expiring contract, making him a desirable midseason addition.

Just as Collins showed this past season, he’s malleable and up for any challenge. After appearing in only one of his first three games as a member of the Bulls, he became a starter when Vučević went down, three games later, and averaged 14.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in his starting role.

It’d be a disservice for the Bulls to relegate Collins to a third-string or mop-up duty role. Flaunting Collins’ abilities ahead of the trade deadline must be a prerequisite. As articulated at the beginning of the article, the Eastern Conference is rather weak concerning center rotations. Thus, Collins would make for a strong spot-starter or primary reserve in over half the conference.

If Collins continues to play well for the Bulls, in a reserve role, flipping him for a couple of second-round picks will surely come to fruition. Nonetheless, it’s on the Bulls to utilize the 6-foot-11 big.