The Bulls could finally be making big changes. According to rumblings out of Chicago, the team is expected to explore trades for both Nikola Vucevic and Patrick Williams this season as they look to shake up a roster that’s struggled to make any real noise in the East.
“The Chicago Bulls will try to trade Nikola Vucevic and Patrick Williams this season,” a source told Ahn Fire Digital. “The Golden State Warriors were interested in trading for Vucevic last season, but the Bulls were asking for too much, so the Warriors pivoted to Jimmy Butler. Meanwhile, Williams will make $18 million this season and has been a massive disappointment for Chicago. Neither Vucevic nor Williams has much trade value right now, the source said.”
The Bulls have been stuck in NBA purgatory for years now, thanks to a roster that’s too bad to compete but too good to tank. The results so far have mostly been play-in appearances, a relatively meaningless achievement for a team that once won six championships in eight years. Now, as they stand on the cusp of yet another failed season, the Bulls are finally ready to try breaking the cycle.
Among other things, success starts with having the right pieces in place and that means finding new homes for Patrick Williams and Nikola Vucevic. As the last remnants of a failed era, the Bulls are better off trading the players to build up their future. The question is, what kind of deal is there to be made?
As a young, crafty power forward who can stretch the floor, Williams is the kind of guy teams covet on paper but his game isn’t nearly as proven in practice. With career averages of 9.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game, Williams’ trajectory has been disappointing and far from what we’ve come to expect from a fourth overall draft pick.
Still, he could thrive in the right environment as a stretch four with plenty of opportunities to score. Surrounded by playmakers and defenders, Williams might be able to live up to the hype and validate his five-year, $90 million contract. So far, trade interest has been limited but there are many interesting scenarios.
As for Vucevic, his status as a former All-Star makes it easier for teams to justify trading for him. Even at 34 years old, he’s got plenty left in the tank with averages of 18.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game on 53.0% shooting last season. Being on the last year of his deal does raise his value somewhat, but it also puts more pressure on the Bulls to get something back for him before it’s too late.
It’s no secret that the Bulls have already tried trading these players before but they cannot afford to be picky now. With their very future at stake, they must accept the offer that gives them the most for their players. Whether that’s a team like the Warriors or the Nets, someone will answer the call and it’s only a matter of time before a deal gets done.
If the Bulls actually follow through this time, it could mark the true beginning of a new era in Chicago. They’ve been stuck in neutral for years, clinging to the hope that this core could somehow make it work, but the results have been the same. Trading Vucevic and Williams might not fix everything overnight, but it’s a start, and sometimes that’s all a team needs to finally move forward.
