The Chicago Bulls will reportedly be willing to send two-time All-Star Nikola Vucevic to the Golden State Warriors in a potential Jonathan Kuminga trade.
Per Forbes’ Evan Sidery, the Bulls, who inquired about Kuminga during his restricted free agency last summer, are once again showing interest in the Congolese forward.
“The Bulls would have interest in swapping Nikola Vucevic for Jonathan Kuminga,” Sidery reported on X.
“The Warriors showed significant interest in Vucevic last season, but did not want to pay Chicago’s asking price. With Chicago struggling after a hot start, they’re open again to listening on Vucevic.”
It’s worth noting that a direct swap between Vucevic and Kuminga, who becomes trade-eligible on Jan. 15, is financially feasible. While the Swiss stretch-5 is on an expiring deal of $21M, Kuminga is owed $22.5M in the first season of his two-year extension.
Warriors Linked to Vuc For Years
Perhaps the traction of a Kuminga trade to the Bulls has resurfaced, given Golden State’s long-rumored interest in Vucevic. The Warriors reportedly inquired with the Bulls about Vucevic before both the 2024 and 2025 trade deadlines.
According to insider Marc Stein, the Warriors and Bulls had a framework in place for a deal that would have sent both Vucevic and Zach LaVine to the Bay Area last year. However, once the deal fell through, the Warriors switched their focus to Jimmy Butler III, whom they acquired from the Miami Heat.
While LaVine was eventually dealt to the Sacramento Kings, Vucevic remained with the Bulls, where he has spent the last four-and-a-half seasons of his career.
Aging Warriors Get Older?
If a Warriors trade for Vucevic materializes, the Warriors will only get older.
Vucevic, who turned 35 in October, will be joining an aging Warriors roster that includes Stephen Curry, 37, Draymond Green, 35, Jimmy Butler, 36, Al Horford, 39, and Buddy Hield, 33. Many analysts have cited the Warriors’ lack of athleticism for their inability to compete with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs in the West. Vucevic may not be the answer to fix those issues.
The Warriors have coveted a quality stretch-5 for years, which is why they’re encouraged by the growth of second-year big Quinten Post, who has made 2.2 threes per game as a starter in 14 games this season. While Vucveic’s acquisition will help them further with their spacing, his defense and lack of athleticism won’t help.
Vucevic is averaging 15.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists this season, while making 1.8 threes per game at a good clip of 38%. In his prime years, he averaged over 2.5 threes per game, establishing himself as one of the best shooting bigs in NBA history.
A Jonthan Kuminga trade is almost a lock to happen before the Feb. 5 deadline, with the fifth-year big man completely falling out of Steve Kerr’s rotation. After three healthy DNPs this past week, he played 10 minutes against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.
Since Kuminga’s contract has a Team Option for 2026-27, he’s viewed as one of the best trade chips around the league, per Marc Stein. Essentially, the team that trades for him could give him a trial run for four months and reassess his future in the 2026 offseason.
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