The Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday finally pulled the trigger on a trade that moves the needle.

LeBron James and Co. acquired Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second-round picks.

How Finney-Smith and Milton could help the Lakers move closer to a championship isn’t of great concern to the Chicago Bulls. (Outside of, perhaps, the slim likelihood LA could have been a Zach LaVine trade destination.)

What should concern the Bulls, though, is what the Nets got in return for one of the most valuable wings on the trade market.

It’s a peek into what awaits Chicago should it try to move any of its veteran players outside of LaVine. That includes Lonzo Ball, Torrey Craig and Jevon Carter.

It also includes Nikola Vucevic.

Lakers’ Finney-Smith deal gives Bulls bleak outlook on Vucevic trades

With the restrictions placed on teams like the Lakers—a contender that’s close to the dreaded second apron and already dealt most of their draft capital to build their current roster—NBA trades are beginning to look more like NFL trades with their smaller returns.

The New York Knicks trading five first-round picks for Mikal Bridges, for example, will be a rare exception moving forward. A package of second-rounders and a lottery-ticket prospect like Lewis will be closer to the norm.

As Marc Stein notes in The Stein Line substack, the Nets had made the rest of the league aware they were holding out for at least one first-round pick in exchange for Finney-Smith. That was also true for Brooklyn when it put Dennis Schroder on the trade block.

The Nets traded both and didn’t land a single first-rounder.

Brooklyn received six second-round picks combined for both, which is nothing to scoff at, but no team in the league met the Nets’ asking price.

Note: Stein reported that Brooklyn could have landed a heavily protected first from the Memphis Grizzlies instead of taking the Lakers package, but it would have required sending a second-round selection or two back to Memphis. The Nets took the trade that earned them three seconds (two unprotected) and required them to give up zero.

This is bad news for the Bulls in their pursuit of a Vucevic trade.

Despite his record-breaking season and ability to stretch the floor as a center, Vucevic isn’t as valuable a player as Finney-Smith. The 31-year-old wing is 6-foot-7, 220 pounds and capable of defending multiple positions at a high level. He’s hitting 43.5 percent of his threes this season.

Chicago has put a first-round price tag on the 34-year-old Vucevic. If Brooklyn couldn’t land one for either Schroder or Finney-Smith, there’s a strong likelihood the Bulls won’t receive one for Vucevic.

Chicago has several tradeable veterans who don’t serve a purpose on a rebuilding roster. It’s just becoming clear the Bulls won’t receive the draft capital they’re seeking in return.