Whew, the NBA’s 2025 trade deadline was quite the spectacle. The “shot heard round the world” was the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles swap of Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis. The very next day, the Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings, and San Antonio Spurs engaged in a three-team trade, sending Zach LaVine to Sacramento and De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio.
Instead of acquiring a star themselves, the Bulls shed LaVine’s $43 million salary and added Zach Collins, Tre Jones, and Kevin Huerter. The three players earn roughly $42 million combined. However, Jones is playing on an expiring pact, while Collins and Huerter will enter unrestricted free agency in 2026. All newly acquired players will be off Chicago’s books before LaVine’s contract expires.
The haul was not impressive, but the Bulls did extract a 2025 first-round pick from the Spurs. Unfortunately, it’s not San Antonio’s 2025 first-round pick—it’s the Bulls’ first-rounder, which was originally sent to the Spurs as a top-10 protected selection in the DeMar DeRozan trade in 2021. Nevertheless, Chicago will no longer have to worry about the pick conveying to San Antonio if they were to fall outside the top 10 in draft order.
The Bulls mistakenly retained Nikola Vucevic through the deadline
However, despite trading their leading scorer, the Bulls held onto several other veterans, including 34-year-old Nikola Vucevic, through the deadline. While Arturas Karnisovas certainly plans to listen to trade offers for Vooch in the future, not jettisoning the big man amid a career year could potentially have devastating effects.
The 6-foot-10 center averages 19.5 points per game, his most as a Bull. Furthermore, Vucevic contributes 10.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.8 three-pointers per contest. He’s also never been more accurate, converting a career-high 54.6 percent of his field goals and nearly a career-high from three, at 39.4 percent. His trade value is quite high compared to recent seasons.
On the flip side, at 34 years old, Vooch isn’t getting any younger. His adversary, Father Time, is undefeated. Sure, the center is enjoying a resurgent season, but upon a closer look, it is clear that aging has gotten the best of Vucevic as the season wears on. The 14-year pro’s points per game have decreased every month since November. He’s averaging a season-low 14.0 points through three games in February.
Besides the diminishing scoring numbers, Vucevic’s field goal and three-point percentages decreased from November to January. He’s shooting a bit better in February, but the sample is small, which can also be said of his lessened point production.
Even though his age has begun to creep up on him, the Bulls held out on trade offers for their talented big man. The front office reportedly felt many of the trade offers were underwhelming. Rightfully so, this comes days after the Bulls made it known that a first-rounder was the only acceptable return.
Here’s the explanation I got on Vooch. Offers were underwhelming and the Bulls FO doesn’t think they can drop more than a few spots in the standings with or without Vooch. They feel he’ll bring in more value this summer. Moving Zach LaVine/getting pick back was the priority.
— Joe Cowley (@JCowleyHoops) February 6, 2025
Instead of rejecting so-so trade offers, the best course of action would have been for the Bulls to strike while the iron was hot and jettison Vucevic days after LaVine. While the underwhelming excuse is reasonable, it goes without saying that Chicago just traded two-time All-Star LaVine for pennies on the dollar and a draft pick.
Of course, trading LaVine was the more necessary move. He’s owed $138 million through 2027. Vucevic, on the other hand, is slated to earn $41 million this season and next. There’s a possibility the Bulls can land a future first-rounder or a young player in exchange for Vooch. However, that’s the best-case scenario. If the 34-year-old continues to flounder down the stretch, his value will decline as he nears 35. An expiring contract is always valuable, but there’s not much difference between one season and a season and a half.
The Bulls likely could have, and definitely should have, traded Vucevic prior to the deadline. The stubbornness is to be expected, even after the LaVine trade. The Bulls’ Front Office has repeatedly held onto players for much longer than expected—all while inexplicably prioritizing competitiveness and a postseason appearance.
