Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic has been among the most common names to appear in trade rumors this offseason. With rumors suggesting that the Bulls would look to buy out his contract if they fail to find a trade for him, his time at Chicago seemed close to ending. However, Vucevic has been unfazed amid this noise.
During a recent interview with Real GM, the 34-year-old center addressed and shot down most of these rumors, painting a clear picture of his situation with the Bulls. He said:
“The Bulls’ GM (Marc Eversley), who had contacted me after all the rumors about me, confirmed that nothing was true and that everything we had said to each other after the season was still relevant. I knew it, but it’s always nice when your GM contacts you to tell you.”
On this note, Vucevic appears fairly certain that he will remain a core member of Chicago’s rotation to start the season. As positive as this is, he is in the final year of his contract. With a cap hit of $21.4 million, the Bulls could still look to buy him out. The big man addressed this possibility by saying:
“There are always rumors. Most of them are false. It’s a bit of nonsense. For example, the buy-out was misinterpreted in Europe: the journalist wrote that if there was no ‘trade’ during the season, there might be a ‘buy-out’ option before the ‘deadline’.”
“I know how the business works: in the last year of a contract, there is always speculation. Since I can’t control anything, I try not to worry about it.”
This paints a very different picture of what the future could look like for Vucevic, as well as the Chicago Bulls. With the two-time All-Star expected to retain his position with the team, the Bulls wouldn’t need to address a shortfall in the frontcourt, allowing them to restructure their roster-building approach.
At 34 years old, and in the final year of his contract, Vucevic is likely to remain one of the most reliable players in the Bulls’ rotation. The veteran big man has displayed his ability to be productive on offense, leveraging his versatile offensive skill set to anchor the scoring on the inside, while also doubling up as a dependable floor-spacer.
Last season, Vucevic posted an average of 18.5 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, on shooting splits of 53.0% from the field and 40.2% from three-point range. Given his role and capabilities, it is safe to assume that he would be able to sustain this level of productivity next season as well.
The Bulls’ main priority will now shift towards the development of their young core. While the team is trending towards building around Matas Buzelis as the team’s rising star, pairing him with talented pieces will become a necessity.
In this regard, Chicago has displayed the intention to retain Coby White and Josh Giddey. Retaining White for the 2025-26 season won’t be as much of a concern, as he is in the final year of his contract. But the situation with Giddey has been complicated.
The contract negotiations between Giddey and the franchise have been drawn out, with no real conclusion in sight.
While the star guard expects a deal worth $30 million annually, the Bulls have remained firm on offering a deal worth $20 million instead. With neither side budging, the Bulls could see their offseason ventures halted indefinitely.
