Bulls Get Good News About $20 Million All-Star Trade Candidate

The Chicago Bulls have found little trade interest in their two priciest players, two-time former All-Stars Nikola Vučević and Zach LaVine.

However, as the 2024-25 trade deadline draws near, that could be changing. The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, Marcus Thompson, and Sam Amick explained that the Golden State Warriors prefer a trade for Vucevic to one for Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler.

They even provided the rough outline of a trade for the Bulls and Warriors, sans draft capital.

“Nikola Vučević has actually emerged as the more discussed Warriors’ trade target, according to team and league sources. The front office and coaching staff have acknowledged back to training camp this team’s need for a true stretch center, something [Stephen] Curry has never really had,” The Atletic’s trio wrote on January 4. “In theory, he’d get protected on defense by [Draymond] Green, while opening up offensive space for Curry, [Andrew] Wiggins and [Jonathan] Kuminga.

“Stack up [Gary] Payton’s $9.1 million with [Kyle] Anderson’s $8.7 million and a small contract like Lindy Waters III, at $2.2 million, and it actually nudges a smidge over Vučević’s $20 million. Then it just becomes about what draft capital gets a deal like that done and Vučević, while productive, won’t break the asset bank.”

This Heavy Sports trade proposal builds off the framework provided by Amick, Slater, and Thompson. The Bulls would get two second-round picks in the deal.

Bulls get:

Gary Payton II
Kyle Anderson
Lindy Waters III
Second-round picks (2030, 2032)

Warriors get:

Nikola Vučević

It might not take much to convince the Bulls.

Bulls Could Save Money With Nikola Vučević Trade

Vučević is having a resurgent season. He is averaging 20.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists this season. He is also shooting 55.8% from the floor and 43.6% from beyond the arc. His bounce-back campaign has not helped the Bulls move off the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Vučević suggested he could explore signing with another team in free agency in 2023. He ultimately re-signed before it began and is now in Year 2 of a three-year, $60 million contract.

Payton and Waters will both be unrestricted free agents after this season.

Anderson is under contract for two more seasons as part of a three-year, $27.6 million pact. But the Bulls would save nearly $11 million against the salary cap in 2025-26 with this deal. And Anderson’s $9.6 million salary in the final year of the deal could buoy another trade financially.

Warriors ‘Seem to Prefer’ Flexibility Over Short-Term Fix

There is a significant difference between Vučević being the more desired potential trade target and wanting to make a move for him.

The Warriors’ decision-makers might not be at the latter point just yet.

“Players like Vučević or Johnson don’t arrive with nearly the upside as Butler, who has done it as an alpha on the biggest playoff stage. Perhaps passing on Butler means giving up even the tiniest sliver of probability remaining that this Warriors core could enter the realistic title mix this season,” Amick, Slater, and Thompson wrote.

“But there’s a heavy amount of current and future risk and, while maintaining they still want to be competitive in Curry’s fading years, it’s clear the front office and ownership group is protective of the seasons beyond Curry, Green and Kerr. So if the primary figures aren’t clamoring for Butler — and they aren’t — the Warriors’ brass seem to prefer long-term maneuverability over a theoretical short-term solution nobody seems to believe too staunchly in anyway.”

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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports

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