Woj: Vucevic/Aminu for Carter Jr/Porter/ 2 1sts

[CobyWhite0]

This was funny. As if Vuc is a "long term fit" with anyone - he could be retired or playing in Spain in 3-4 years.

Read on Twitter

In the NBA you don’t look past 5 years. Markkanen will have defensive compatibility issues with every center outside of maybe Gobert, Embiid and Allen.

LOL, talk about living in denial

It looks to be abundantly clear now that the Bulls don't see Lauri being on the roster once this season's playoffs end, and some fans are having a complete meltdown about it. They've spent many months trying to explain why Lauri is worth $20 million or more per year to the Bulls, and now they are finding out that AKME don't agree.

It makes you feel bad for the fans who weren't jerks about it

[WindyCityBorn]

Vuc is a very good fit for how Billy wants his center to play. I'm assuming he'll see his scoring dip as he was the number 1 option at Orlando, but his assists will go up given he'll receive the ball in the high post a lot, similar to Thad. Thad should go back to the bench so we have one of these types on the floor at all times. Given we don't have a dominant playmaker and average rebounders, I can see Vuc putting up a 20/12/6 statline.

I expect Lauri's shots to stay similar, he'll have a lot of opportunities of open looks and to cut to the basket with the defense focused elsewhere.

Ideal shot spread with the starters would be:

Zach - 18
Vuc - 16
Lauri - 12
PWill - 10
Sato - 8

Minutes/Rotation. We can always cut Brown out, but interested to see how he looks.

Sato (24), Coby (24)
LaVine (36), Brown (12)
PWill (28), Temple (20)
Lauri (28), Thad (20)
Vuc (32), Theis (16)

I think you are being generous with Coby’s minutes. We will not let him ruin games anymore. Arci could play over him. Brown too definitely could for his defense.

[WindyCityBorn]

How much does Lonzo project to make? $20M seems like a lot

I guess you could hope that he might give up $2-$4 mil to come to us if he can gain that back in big market endorsements. Wishful thinking.

Pelicans can match so we have to outbid them.

[WindyCityBorn]

Vuc was not my ideal target:

30 years old
Not a good defender
Good floor but not ceiling raiser
Buy high candidate( two firsts)

that said he is a really good player on a value deal, we took on some salary for the future instead of just waiting for a lackluster offseason and we are going for the play in.
I like that the FO took their evaluation period but then took a path, no more garpax standing path for flexibility.

Nothing is ever ideal. You do the best you can.

[coldfish]

Watch on YouTube

NVs creativity level isn’t anywhere close to Jokic’s. I only mention that because you and chefo were saying NV was going to be putting up comparable stat lines. And I know you didn’t mean over the course of the season, but if Vuc sniffs 5 assists a game, I’ll be shocked. Those were good, but standard post passes.

Good trade, though.

He averages 4 now on terrible team. He could easily get 5 playing with Zach. Hell our offense is making Thad look like a point center.

Just to be clear:
- I don't think Vucevic is a Jokic level player
- The Bulls offense puts the ball in the hub center's hands a LOT. AK even discussed it. Thad is not historically a great passer but he averages 6.2a per 36 this year. Vucevic is a better passer than him. I think that the combination is going to lead to some big assist totals but again, that doesn't mean that Vucevic = Jokic

[ZOMG]

This was funny. As if Vuc is a "long term fit" with anyone - he could be retired or playing in Spain in 3-4 years.

Read on Twitter

In the NBA you don’t look past 5 years. Markkanen will have defensive compatibility issues with every center outside of maybe Gobert, Embiid and Allen.

LOL, talk about living in denial

It looks to be abundantly clear now that the Bulls don't see Lauri being on the roster once this season's playoffs end, and some fans are having a complete meltdown about it. They've spent many months trying to explain why Lauri is worth $20 million or more per year to the Bulls, and now they are finding out that AKME don't agree.

It makes you feel bad for the fans who weren't jerks about it

Meltdown? What? Who? Where?

In case you didn't notice, the Bulls didn't trade him even though they EASILY could have if they just wanted to get rid of him. And if he's not on the roster next season, it's because some team gave him $22 million dollars per season or something - because that team, you know, values him a lot.

I love how Lauri haters are now jumping through hoops to try to fabricate a narrative where these deadline moves OBVIOUSLY mean that they're getting ready to jettison him in the offseason. If anything, they might mean the opposite... but we just don't know. Let's wait and see how he performs with the new guys.

Life seems to be very hard for the average Markkanen hater right now. Let's all just relax.

[WindyCityBorn]

NVs creativity level isn’t anywhere close to Jokic’s. I only mention that because you and chefo were saying NV was going to be putting up comparable stat lines. And I know you didn’t mean over the course of the season, but if Vuc sniffs 5 assists a game, I’ll be shocked. Those were good, but standard post passes.

Good trade, though.

He averages 4 now on terrible team. He could easily get 5 playing with Zach. Hell our offense is making Thad look like a point center.

Just to be clear:
- I don't think Vucevic is a Jokic level player
- The Bulls offense puts the ball in the hub center's hands a LOT. AK even discussed it. Thad is not historically a great passer but he averages 6.2a per 36 this year. Vucevic is a better passer than him. I think that the combination is going to lead to some big assist totals but again, that doesn't mean that Vucevic = Jokic

I agree with that. I only disagreed with the idea that Vuc probably can’t even average 5 assists here.

[WindyCityBorn]

In the NBA you don’t look past 5 years. Markkanen will have defensive compatibility issues with every center outside of maybe Gobert, Embiid and Allen.

LOL, talk about living in denial

It looks to be abundantly clear now that the Bulls don't see Lauri being on the roster once this season's playoffs end, and some fans are having a complete meltdown about it. They've spent many months trying to explain why Lauri is worth $20 million or more per year to the Bulls, and now they are finding out that AKME don't agree.

It makes you feel bad for the fans who weren't jerks about it

Meltdown? What? Who? Where?

In case you didn't notice, the Bulls didn't trade him even though they EASILY could have if they just wanted to get rid of him. And if he's not on the roster next season, it's because some team gave him $22 million dollars per season or something - because that team, you know, values him a lot.

I love how Lauri haters are now jumping through hoops to try to fabricate a narrative where these deadline moves OBVIOUSLY mean that they're getting ready to jettison him in the offseason. If anything, they might mean the opposite... but we just don't know. Let's wait and see how he performs with the new guys.

Life seems to be very hard for the average Markkanen hater right now. Let's all just relax.

No one actually hates Markkanen. I hope he balls out as the 3rd option the last half of the season, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Hopefully these roster moves benefit him too. Will you get a cut of his next contract?

[ZOMG]

LOL, talk about living in denial

It looks to be abundantly clear now that the Bulls don't see Lauri being on the roster once this season's playoffs end, and some fans are having a complete meltdown about it. They've spent many months trying to explain why Lauri is worth $20 million or more per year to the Bulls, and now they are finding out that AKME don't agree.

It makes you feel bad for the fans who weren't jerks about it

Meltdown? What? Who? Where?

In case you didn't notice, the Bulls didn't trade him even though they EASILY could have if they just wanted to get rid of him. And if he's not on the roster next season, it's because some team gave him $22 million dollars per season or something - because that team, you know, values him a lot.

I love how Lauri haters are now jumping through hoops to try to fabricate a narrative where these deadline moves OBVIOUSLY mean that they're getting ready to jettison him in the offseason. If anything, they might mean the opposite... but we just don't know. Let's wait and see how he performs with the new guys.

Life seems to be very hard for the average Markkanen hater right now. Let's all just relax.

No one actually hates Markkanen. I hope he balls out as the 3rd option the last half of the season, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Hopefully these roster moves benefit him too. Will you get a cut of his next contract?

In the NBA, I generally wouldn't bet on many things.

Someone raised an interesting point at the deadline: if Lauri functions as the 3rd option from now on, that basically means that nothing changes for him. The fact of the matter is that Markkanen has received 3rd/4th option opportunities this season and generally made the most of them.

It's a very interesting possibility that the Bulls looked at his stellar efficiency numbers and decided to see if he can keep it up within the new framework. That would be a jackpot.

[rtblues]

The Bulls sign an all-star Center in his prime who is a serious upgrade.
Immediately fans start with the "He's not Jokic" narrative. Who the F is as good as Jokic?
Jeez, reminder, Jokic wasn't part of this or any trade. Can we leave him out of this discussion?
It serves no purpose, and the entire basketball world knows Jokic is a rare dude, which is why he is
in the MVP discussion. Can we just discuss Vuc within the context of this trade, this team, and not
immediately start sniping by using some false narratives that involve Jokic comparisons.

[CobyWhite0]

LOL, talk about living in denial

It looks to be abundantly clear now that the Bulls don't see Lauri being on the roster once this season's playoffs end, and some fans are having a complete meltdown about it. They've spent many months trying to explain why Lauri is worth $20 million or more per year to the Bulls, and now they are finding out that AKME don't agree.

It makes you feel bad for the fans who weren't jerks about it

Meltdown? What? Who? Where?

In case you didn't notice, the Bulls didn't trade him even though they EASILY could have if they just wanted to get rid of him. And if he's not on the roster next season, it's because some team gave him $22 million dollars per season or something - because that team, you know, values him a lot.

I love how Lauri haters are now jumping through hoops to try to fabricate a narrative where these deadline moves OBVIOUSLY mean that they're getting ready to jettison him in the offseason. If anything, they might mean the opposite... but we just don't know. Let's wait and see how he performs with the new guys.

Life seems to be very hard for the average Markkanen hater right now. Let's all just relax.

No one actually hates Markkanen. I hope he balls out as the 3rd option the last half of the season, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Hopefully these roster moves benefit him too. Will you get a cut of his next contract?

LOL, that's what I'm talking about when I said "It makes you feel bad for the fans who weren't jerks about it".

Calling people "haters" because they don't think Lauri fits here and who don't think Lauri is worth $20 million/year for 4 years makes you "being a jerk about it" in my eyes.

I'm a BULLS fan, nobody would be happier to see Lauri average 30/10 with 2 blocked shots and 2 steals after the break. Because it would make us a contender for the East at the very least.

[FriedRise]

The Bulls sign an all-star Center in his prime who is a serious upgrade.
Immediately fans start with the "He's not Jokic" narrative. Who the F is as good as Jokic?
Jeez, reminder, Jokic wasn't part of this or any trade. Can we leave him out of this discussion?
It serves no purpose, and the entire basketball world knows Jokic is a rare dude, which is why he is
in the MVP discussion. Can we just discuss Vuc within the context of this trade, this team, and not
immediately start sniping by using some false narratives that involve Jokic comparisons.

Says you.

I trust AK and his ability to find large European centers named Nikola.

[JohnnyTapwater]

I've learned negative people are negative about them self. They'll always see the flaws on the outside because they are so used to seeing and judging them within their self.

I've learned, they can't help it.

Go Bulls.

[DASMACKDOWN]

What I like as well is we are able to practice with these guys today. We havent had many opportunities to practice in a while so its a perfect time to get the new guys in.

[bearadonisdna]

, i love vucevic for Lauris development.
him having to play center made him look bad when he didnt have too.

The rest of the season we can observe what lauri looks like playing his natural position almost exclusively.

Fair market value right now is 15m per year imo. He cant be making more than Zach.

[ThisGuyFawkes]

What I like as well is we are able to practice with these guys today. We havent had many opportunities to practice in a while so its a perfect time to get the new guys in.

Unfortunately the trade deadline was right before a west coast road trip (@SA, @GS, @Phx, @Utah). I'm guessing the new players fly straight to SA? Or are we practicing today in Chicago before leaving for SA? That's the life of an NBA player.

[coldfish]

He averages 4 now on terrible team. He could easily get 5 playing with Zach. Hell our offense is making Thad look like a point center.

Just to be clear:
- I don't think Vucevic is a Jokic level player
- The Bulls offense puts the ball in the hub center's hands a LOT. AK even discussed it. Thad is not historically a great passer but he averages 6.2a per 36 this year. Vucevic is a better passer than him. I think that the combination is going to lead to some big assist totals but again, that doesn't mean that Vucevic = Jokic

I agree with that. I only disagreed with the idea that Vuc probably can’t even average 5 assists here.

I quoted you because it was easier than going back through the thread or editing just so I could quote the other guy, so I basically just agreed with you.

Sorry for any confusion.

[StunnerKO]

Watch on YouTube

[Dieselbound&Down]

I still need to see a post-trade deadline cap breakdown, but one of my first thoughts was that if this is it, and we can’t afford a playmaker like Lonzo, then **** it. Sign Lauri and hope for the best.

If we end up with this core and 2 of Lauri, Coby and Patrick Lee Williams pan out, we’re in great shape. Now that mini-rebuilding is off the table, I’m less inclined to trade Lauri.

With the Aminu deal, the Bulls likely won't be below the cap next year. If they cut both Thad and Sato, they would have some amount of money but I doubt it would be enough to sign Sato and Thad level players.

Then I won’t be arguing with ZOMG anymore. Hell with it. Give Lauri his $80 million and cross your fingers.

Then you still have Coby and Williams to develop as players or assets.

I was down for trading Lauri but it seems pretty clear with the moves that the Bulls are going to extend him and roll the dice that he will (no longer "can", this needs to be a "will" to make this all work out) develop into a really solid and dependable player.

[sco]

I historically don't like C's over 30, but I get comfy because guys who have generally been injury-free and aren't leapers like the Lopezs and Gasols have a few more years of high-level play after 30, and IMO, his next deal isn't gonna be a MAX deal due to his age then.