Nikola Vucevic : Free Agent Tracking Thread

[DASMACKDOWN]

Wiretap story

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/271748/Nikola-Vucevic-Bulls-Open-Extension-Talks

[DASMACKDOWN]

4/72 to me is probably fair if offered and accepted.

The question is should we.

He will be 33 when the season starts. 18 mil isnt crippling but at the same time, we know our limits with him defensively unless we somehow upgrade the PF spot.

[TheSuzerain]

Ideally they sign+trade him.

Would gladly let him walk

[Dominator83]

Really don't want him back. This team needs a full tear down

[WestsideResider]

Ffs just let him walk. What’s with this team and wanting to keep around one way players that don’t win

[MrFortune3]

I really would prefer we sign and trade him. I know with Bev coming in late and us making a charge there will be a temptation to keep him but the roster needs to start being reshaped and honestly, we need draft picks.

[GoBlue72391]

4/72 to me is probably fair if offered and accepted.

The question is should we.

He will be 33 when the season starts. 18 mil isnt crippling but at the same time, we know our limits with him defensively unless we somehow upgrade the PF spot.

Anything more than 2 years or 2 years + a team option would be wild. I'm hoping for a sign and trade and moving on from him.

[GoBlue72391]

Ffs just let him walk. What’s with this team and wanting to keep around one way players that don’t win

I'm not big on losing assets for nothing. Sign-and-trade is the ideal outcome here, but of course we'll probably keep him for another few years.

[Dominator83]

Ffs just let him walk. What’s with this team and wanting to keep around one way players that don’t win

Don't forget coaches too. I seriously feel sorry for any Bulls fan that's 25 and under. All they've ever seen is a JAG franchise. The definition of meh

[meekrab]

We don't have another starter level big on the roster, kinda need to at least feel out if he's affordable and wants to return. He said the kind of thing you want to hear before the season ("I've made a lot of money in my career so it's more about the team than the money" or something like that) but who knows, maybe another year missing the playoffs soured him on Chicago / AKME / Billy.

S+T probably doesn't have a ton of value, not sure what team is out there thinking they need a slow footed drop coverage big to complete their defense.

[kodo]

I wouldn't sign him for more than 2 years max. Derozan has 1 more year, then we can blow it up. Committing 4 years to Vuc is a waste. He'll just end up being someone we'll have to waive and then he signs with some other playoff team for min to come off the bench, so we'll be paying him to play for a competing team.

[TheHrvReport]

2 years 32 million would be reasonable for both parties IIMO. I pray we can do a sign and trade but unlikely. God, this franchise is so f***ed

[DASMACKDOWN]

2 years is the magic number for us right now.

In two years we would have made a decision on Demar and Ball would also be off the books. The flip side is in 2 years we also dont have our pick so that can make the front office be in non tank mode.

This is a very uninspiring situation.

[gardenofsound]

2 years is the magic number for us right now.

In two years we would have made a decision on Demar and Ball would also be off the books. The flip side is in 2 years we also dont have our pick so that can make the front office be in non tank mode.

This is a very uninspiring situation.

That pick is top 10 protected in '25, then top 8 in '26 and '27 before it becomes a SRP.

Honestly, it kind of incentivizes tanking for that three year period.

[TheJordanRule]

Do not resign unless its for a deal that compares with Mo Bamba's. Proven offensive production is valuable, but he has not been part of a winning solution so if we don't stick with him, and choose a younger guy who can play defense and has some upside, that's just as good as bringing Vuce back. Sick of all the top of the key threes too. That type of offense doesn't work.

[coldfish]

To state the obvious: Chicago is in a bad spot. Giving Vucevic a contract doesn't improve that. The sooner the organization rips off the bandaid the better. Sign and trade if possible. If not, just let him walk and use the freed up space as an asset to improve the organization's positioning in the long term.

They aren't going to listen to me. They are going to re-sign him. The realistic hope at this point is that its a shorter deal.

[jnrjr79]

To state the obvious: Chicago is in a bad spot. Giving Vucevic a contract doesn't improve that. The sooner the organization rips off the bandaid the better. Sign and trade if possible. If not, just let him walk and use the freed up space as an asset to improve the organization's positioning in the long term.

They aren't going to listen to me. They are going to re-sign him. The realistic hope at this point is that its a shorter deal.

Part of the problem here is there really isn't any "freed up space" if you let him walk. I suppose there is down the line if you're assuming you can only sign him now to a long-term deal, but signing him to a 2-year contract (which he may not be willing to do) isn't going to do much re: cap space. Of course, a lot of this is dependent on whether the Bulls pursue medical retirement for Lonzo next year, what they do with DeMar and his desire for an extension, etc. The Vooch situation really is kind of secondary behind some other more serious decision to make.

[dougthonus]

To state the obvious: Chicago is in a bad spot. Giving Vucevic a contract doesn't improve that. The sooner the organization rips off the bandaid the better. Sign and trade if possible. If not, just let him walk and use the freed up space as an asset to improve the organization's positioning in the long term.

They aren't going to listen to me. They are going to re-sign him. The realistic hope at this point is that its a shorter deal.

I've now come around to this off-season plan:
1: S&T Vuc for anything you can get value wise
2: Move DeMar for Expiring + most you can get
3: Move Caruso for most you can get
4: Have a heart to heart with Zach that we're going to make a massive pivot next year, and if he toughs this year out and next year doesn't work, we'll move him to a destination of his choice - otherwise, move Zach for as much as you can get
5: S&T Coby or bring him back on the QO if he gets nothing better
6: Bring back Ayo only if he's dirt cheap, preferably on a one year overpaid deal if he has no market with a TO (2/10 2nd year TO)
7: Sign guys to fill in gaps however you see fit that do not extend past one year
8: Decline Dalen Terry's 3rd year option

In season:
1: Let Pat Williams and Ayo take 25 shots a game each to see if they have it
2: Probably be really bad
3: Apply for Medical retirement for Lonzo in January when it's been 2 years and he's had 3 surgeries and still can't play

Next off-season
Guys under contract:
1: Zach LaVine
2: That's it. Just Zach Lavine

Cap room: 90M or so
Assets: Your probably really good pick from being lousy, all the picks you got for Vuc, DeMar, Caruso
FAs you might bring back if they showed you something after giving them a massive amount of burn: Pat/Ayo

What do you do now? Who knows, but you can absorb large contracts easily to gain more assets, you can absorb star contracts, you've got surplus future assets instead of out future assets, and you've got one high quality player on the roster on a fair deal. You can go the OKC route and acquire tons and tons of draft capital with all your financial capital, you could go the Brooklyn route and try and make offers to Jaylen Green and Domontas Sabonis (probably the two best UFAs), you might be able to swing a trade for a star, you can see what's possible.

Counterpoint:
1: Sign Vuc to a 2 year deal with 3rd year TO
2: Extend DeMar
3: Match/Keep Coby

Next off-season:
1: Still capped out
2: Still likely missed the playoffs
3: Still no surplus assets or easy way to pivot
4: Current assets more devalued than previous year and best plan will be to do what I just said we should do now, a year later, for worse returns

PS, also said we should do the same thing last year, when the returns would have been even greater than this year, and we could effectively be in the same boat.

[weneeda2guard]

I hate this news not because I'm disgusted with bringing vuc back, as I am one that can understand the thinking in bringing back the big 3 and hopefully adding a pg And a couple 3pt shooters to the mix. Outside of that the other path would be basically just get bad have a fire sale and hope for draft luck a course we failed misrebly taking with garpax.

I'm upset because this is telling me that Portland is going a different direction with their 3rd pick and the Bulls probably know it by now. So the dream of scoot Henderson coming is dying smh

[League Circles]

Comments here are blowing my mind in so many different directions. I find it funny that people think that we can elect to S&T Vuc and that that would bring desirable rather than undesirable return.

There is no easy way out of this guys.

IMO we should offer him a large 1+1 (team option year 2) deal. If he doesn't like that, offer him a 5 year deal at no more than 15 mil/year. I think that's likely to be a good, tradable deal.