Nikola Vucevic, Chicago Bulls
Heading into the final few weeks before the NBA Trade Deadline, you can imagine the Chicago Bulls will be attempting to scramble their way toward completing at least a couple of deals. While all the attention has revolved around the possibility of a Zach LaVine trade, I can't help but wonder if there's one other veteran on this team that is more of a lock to be traded over the next few weeks. And, no, it's not Lonzo Ball. Instead, I do believe that Nikola Vucevic is the player most likely to be moved before the deadline.
Vucevic is having a strong bounce-back season this year and could be a huge boost for a playoff team looking for depth in the frontcourt. In the right system, there's a reason to believe that Vucevic could have a huge impact in the postseason. Understandably, that's probably not going to be on the Bulls. Chicago is clearly pivoting toward a rebuild or at least a retooling of the roster and Vucevic no longer fits the long-term build of the team. A trade at the deadline simply makes the most sense for both sides at this point.
Why Nikola Vucevic will likely be traded: I understand that the Bulls would love to trade LaVine at the deadline but with the way his market simply hasn't developed, it's not that realistic to expect such a move from Chicago - no matter how much they want to make it happen. Vucevic is clearly the much more realistic move that the Bulls could end up making. He has just one year remaining on his deal (unlike LaVine who still has two expensive years remaining on his contract) and is viewed as the less polarizing player.
With there already being somewhat of a decent market for Vucevic, I do believe he's on a path toward being traded at some point before the deadline. As an effective stretch big, that's not all that surprising to see. What the Bulls will get in exchange for Vucevic is the better question and it will be interesting to watch it all unfold over the next few weeks. Even if the Bulls aren't able to trade LaVine, the deadline may not be a complete bust if they can find a taker for Vucevic.