The Golden State Warriors have been consistently linked to a trade for 2x All-Star Nikola Vucevic over recent weeks, with all eyes on whether the franchise will execute a deal with the Chicago Bulls prior the February 6 deadline.

As reiterated by NBA insider Marc Stein on Monday, negotiations largely center around draft capital and the fact the Bulls want a first-round pick for Vucevic while the Warriors are only willing to offer second-round draft capital at this stage.

The Lakers are not expected to enter the race for Nikola Vucevic

It now remains to be seen whether Golden State or Chicago will budge on their position over the next 10 days. The Warriors are looking to salvage their season which currently sits below .500 at a 22-23 record, while the Bulls have to ensure they’re bad enough to retain a top 10 pick otherwise it will head to the San Antonio Spurs.

One thing potentially on Golden State’s side is a thinning market for Vucevic, with few teams outside of them having been linked to the 34-year-old big man. The Los Angeles Lakers had been considered a strong suitor for Vucevic in recent days, particularly after Anthony Davis blatantly told ESPN’s Shams Charania last week that “I think we need another big. I feel like I’ve always been at my best when I’ve been the four.”

“League sources stressed over the weekend that the Lakers are not expected to join the hunt for either Vučević or Toronto’s Jakob Poeltl,” Stein wrote on his Substack.

Having multiple suitors would obviously increase Chicago’s leverage and very likely the value they could extract in a trade, so this is good news for Golden State and the potential of acquiring the stretch five they’ve desperately needed.

The Warriors have unearthed rookie center Quinten Post over the last three games, with the two-way contracted center having brought a new dynamic to the offense in drilling seven threes and scoring 28 combined points in the recent meetings ironically against the Bulls and Lakers.

Post’s impressive play has even had some fans calling for him to be accelerated into the starting lineup, while others believe it’s now even more important to acquire a veteran shooting big like Vucevic.

Vucevic is still averaging 20.1 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists with the Bulls this season, shooting 55.5% from the field and 40.6% from 3-point range.