29 Nikola Vucevic (unrestricted)
The Chicago Bulls have many big decisions to make this offseason. One of the biggest revolves around Nikola Vucevic and his impending free agency. After acquiring Vucevic at the 2021 NBA Trade Deadline, he’s been a pretty consistent contributor to the team. He’s coming off a season in which he averaged 18 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists per game on 52 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent shooting from 3-point range.
If the Bulls want to continue to be competitive in the Eastern Conference next season, that likely is accomplished by re-signing Vucevic. But that could be complicated considering the Bulls also need to figure out the futures of LaMelo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine.
For as much as the Bulls may be stuck, they can’t seemingly let Vucevic walk in free agency. The only way that I could possibly see that happening is if they decide to trade LaVine and DeRozan this summer. Even then, the Bulls would probably try to work and sign and trade for Vuc. At least for now, I believe Vuc will be back in a Bulls uniform next season.
Whether that ends up working out, in the long run, remains to be seen, but his contract could be another asset for the team down the road if it doesn’t.
Prediction: Chicago Bulls