Getty Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Chicago Bulls and Clint Capela #15 of the Atlanta Hawks.
The Chicago Bulls have Nikola Vucevic under contract for two more years on his three-year, $60 million contract. But they could be poised to lose backup Andre Drummond in free agency after nearly losing him last offseason.
Their efforts to replace him could include drafting a replacement with the No. 11 overall pick of the 2024 draft. They could also pursue a trade to move up in the draft.
Free agency offers another avenue, though they are limited financially.
The other path would be adding a potential solution via trade, and they may already have a target in mind. Clint Capela is one of several Atlanta Hawks players who could be traded this offseason. The Bulls are among the teams that could have him on their radar.
“Clint Capela is a popular trade target with the Grizzlies, Wizards, Pelicans and Bulls having expressed interest,” Action Network’s Matt Moore wrote on June 18.
Capela, 30, averaged 11.5 points, and 10.6 rebounds last season.
Swiss Bank 🇨🇭
CC collected 335 offensive boards this year, leading the NBA. His 18.7% offensive rebound rate is the highest in team history 🙌 @GeorgiaPower
Capela was the NBA’s leading rebounder in 2020-21. He was also a key reason why the Hawks reached the Eastern Conference Finals that season. He is entering the final year of a two-year, $45.8 million contract.
Capela has also battled through knee issues over the past few seasons. However, he has still appeared in at least 63 games since 2019-20.
He has also seen his rebounding numbers drop each season since earning the crown.
Bulls Were Average on the Boards in 2023-24
The Bulls ranked 14th in rebounding during the regular season even with Drummond, the self-proclaimed greatest rebounder in NBA history, on the roster. Part of that was an inconsistent role, which could factor into Drummond’s decision this offseason.
Capela might not garner a larger role on the Bulls than Drummond, a four-time rebounding champion.
Capela did have a positive impact on the Hawks last season.
CC in season 10 🔥
335 OREB (career high, most in NBA)
11.5 PPG
10.6 RPG
The Hawks’ net efficiency differential was neutral (0.0) with Capela on the floor and dropped to minus-3.1 when he was off, per Cleaning The Glass. The Bulls had a minus-0.7 net efficiency differential with Drummond on the floor and a minus-2.5 differential when he sat in 2023-24.
The Bulls could still struggle on the glass even if they swung a trade for Capela. They ranked 14th and 30th in rebounding among forwards and guards, respectively.
Bulls Would Pay Premium Price if They Trade for Another Center
Capela also carries a $22.3 million cap hit in 2024-25. That is a lofty price tag for a role that could be 17 minutes per game. That is what Drummond posted.
Vucevic has been healthy, appearing in no fewer than 70 games in each of the last four seasons.
Playing the two of them together is an ominous proposition after similar concepts yielded poor results for the Bulls. Capela can hold his own on switches when he is healthy, and his 1.2 blocks per game last season are more rim protection than Vucevic offers.
CC doing work on both ends as we cut into the lead
Still, the Bulls would have the seventh-most expensive pivot group in the league with the two starters on the same roster, per Spotrac. They would overtake the Hawks for that spot.
That is a big commitment to make with so many other question marks on the team.