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The Chicago Bulls roster appears to be ready for the season as the team currently has 15 players. The Bulls had a low-key summer as they re-signed All-Star Zach LaVine to a max contract of five years $212 million and added veterans Andre Drummond and Goran Dragic on inexpensive contracts.
With that said the Bulls still have questions about their current roster first of which is the health of Lonzo Ball’s knee and if he’ll be ready for the start of the season. Beyond that, the Bulls also didn’t address some of the weakest parts of their roster.
Chicago still doesn’t have a rim protector and lacks three-point shooting. With that in mind, it’s fair to wonder if the Bulls might look to make a move before the season.
Proposed Trade
Another concern for the Bulls going into this season is that Nikola Vucevic is entering the last year of his contract with the team. So Chicago will need to make a decision on what they want to do with Vucevic.
If the Bulls don’t plan to offer Vucevic an extension then the team could look to trade him before or during the season to avoid losing him for nothing. If Chicago wanted to boost their interior presence they could look to the Memphis Grizzlies as a trade partner.
On ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine trading Vucevic for Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke works. It could be a trade that entices both teams enough to get a deal done.
Why it Could Work
For the Bulls adding Adams and Clarke would certainly strengthen the team’s interior presence. Adams is regarded as one of the strongest players in the league and is coming off of a season that saw him average 6.9 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.
Clarke is coming off his third season in the NBA and averaged 10.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 19.5 minutes per game. His play improved in the playoffs as he averaged 12.3 points and 6.9 rebounds in 24.7 minutes per game.
The Grizzlies could be willing to make this trade because they have depth at center. Also, Vucevic would bring a veteran presence to a young team and could help them stretch the floor from the center position.
With Vucevic entering the last year of his contract the Bulls will likely way their options on the best course of action. If the team does want to extend him then they could try before the season gets underway to see where Vucevic is at on his future in Chicago.
Other Bull on the Market
It’s no secret that the Bulls have been shopping Coby White since the end of the season. For the time being, the team has yet to receive an offer they like for White and has chosen to hold onto him for now.
However, if the Bulls did decide to trade Vucevic the team could put White in a deal as well to try and sweeten the pot. This situation is certainly worth monitoring for the Bulls as training camp approaches.