Now that they’ve made the important move in locking up Josh Giddey for the next four seasons, the Chicago Bulls must decide how best to manage Nikola Vucevic’s situation as an aging center on an expiring contract.
The Giddey saga truly started last offseason, as soon as the Bulls front office made the call to swap a premier perimeter defender (and now two-time champion) in Alex Caruso for a then-21-year-old point guard who spent the conclusion of the 2023-24 playoffs glued to the bench in Oklahoma City. Chicago knew Giddey was set to enter restricted free agency, but pulled the trigger on the controversial trade anyway.
The Giddey Saga was one of the most newsworthy events of what turned out to be a dry NBA summer, but now that it’s finally reached its end, the Bulls are obliged to turn their attention to some other significant roster decisions. That includes Vucevic’s murky fate in Chicago.
The Chicago Bulls must make the right call on Nikola Vucevic’s future
The most pressing issue for executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas is Coby White’s impending free agency. The 25-year-old guard became the team’s top scoring option by the end of last season and could land a richer contract than the $100 million one that Giddey received.
Ayo Dosunmu, Kevin Huerter, Zach Collins, Jevon Carter and Dalen Terry are all playing on expiring contracts, and Karnisovas will need to make a call on their futures. But the immediate concern has to be Vucevic, specifically whether to trade him for what would amount to pennies on the dollar or keep him for all of 2025-26 and lose him for nothing in the offseason.
There is an argument to be made for keeping the 14-year veteran. Vucevic was one of the most productive centers at this year’s EuroBasket, averaging 20.8 points through his home country of Montenegro’s five contests. That number was second only to three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. Vooch also racked up the most rebounds of any big man (58), averaged the most assists (4.4) and played the most minutes (169). He clearly can still produce at a high level.
On the other hand, he’s about to turn 35 and has always been more comfortable in a slow-paced, half-court offense that doesn’t fit most modern NBA schemes — especially not the run-and-gun transition system Chicago uses under head coach Billy Donovan.
The Bulls are building a young roster (13 players age-25 or under) that can cause chaos defensively and quickly turn it into points on the other end (second in pace last season).
This is also a franchise that needs to be in asset-collection mode, and the chances of Chicago extending Vucevic past 2025-26 are minute. He should still hold value to contending teams as a high-IQ stretch five who can score, facilitate and rebound, even if it comes in short spurts off the bench. That should be worth at least a few second-round picks, and if the offer presents itself, the Bulls absolutely need to pull the trigger and avoid losing something for nothing.
