Getty Vasilije Micić
The Chicago Bulls need a point guard, and there is a lot of talk about the team chasing Lonzo Ball and others in free agency. However, Chicago is said to be interested in EuroLeague MVP Vasilije Micić, per Mozzart Sport.
Micić, who is 27 and born in Serbia, was drafted in the second round in 2014 by the Philadelphia 76ers. The Oklahoma City Thunder owns Micic’s NBA rights, but he could be available in trade per the report.
The Bulls are reportedly interested in working out a deal with the Thunder to acquire Micić.
The EuroLeague and Super League star and his agent Miodrag Raznatovic are seemingly open to coming to the United States, as the 6’6″ guard declined to renew his contract with Anadolu Efes of the EuroLeague. Still, they do have some concerns and contingencies.
“Vasa is ready for the NBA and to be a serious player there, but some dice have to be put together; I will not allow him to have a fate like Spanoulis in the United States, to sit on a bench,” says Raznatovic, according to the report. “If America is not good and correct enough, he will have to wait for him “a few more years.”
Raznatovic is referring to Vassilis Spanoulis, who is his client. Spanoulis had a short and non-descript one-year stint in the NBA with the Houston Rockets during the 2006-07 season.
There can never be any promises, but based on the Bulls’ current point guard situation, it is difficult to imagine Micić sitting more than he plays for Chicago.
Micic Would Give the Bulls the Kind of Veteran Lead Guard They Need
To put it plainly, if Micić was on the Bulls’ roster in 2020-21, he would have been starting alongside Zach LaVine. We shouldn’t get too far ahead of ourselves, but there is good reason to believe Chicago might have been a playoff team if that was the starting backcourt.
Micić has the kind of savvy offensive game to be an effective scoring and facilitating guard. At 6’6″, he shouldn’t have a problem guarding multiple positions in the league, and he’s already got the requisite build to prevent himself from being taken advantage of if he’s taken in the post.
Micić’s shooting stroke is pretty, and he proved adept at knocking down the three by connecting on 39% of them in EuroLeague play this past season. He might be the best blend of affordable and potentially dynamic options for Chicago to fill their void at point guard.
Take a look at some of his highlights from this past season:
Micić Would Make Bulls More Attractive to Nikola Jokic
Bulls president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas is known for his scouting and signing of likely NBA MVP Nikola Jokic while the former was a member of the Denver Nuggets front office.
Micić and Jokic were teammates on the Serbia national team at the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
GettyFOSHAN, CHINA – AUGUST 31: #15 Nikola Jokic of the Serbia National Team cheers with team mate #22 Vasilije Micic against the Angola National Team during the 1st round of 2019 FIBA World Cup at GBA International Sports and Cultural Center on August 31, 2019 in Foshan, China. (Photo by Zhong Zhi/Getty Images)
Jokic will be a free agent after the 2022-23 season. If the Bulls can acquire Micić and have him on the roster to help recruit Jokic when the time comes, the combination of his countrymen and the man who brought him to the NBA could be quite the draw for Chicago.
This is a long way from happening, but it is worth considering, especially if Chicago can get Micić.
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Bulls Targeting Trade For EuroLeague MVP: Report