The Chicago Bulls have been searching for trade partners to take Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic off their hands. LaVine’s play this season has started to re-ignite buzz around him. But Vucevic had yet to see similar movement with his trade market.
However, The Stein Line’s Marc Stein reacted to reports that the Phoenix Suns have “interest” in Vucevic. He notes they could have an “obvious pathway” to completing a trade.
That would be great for the Bulls, who would land center Jusuf Nurkic in the deal.
“The Suns are said to be interested in Chicago’s Nikola Vučević and would seem to have an obvious pathway to making the Bulls an offer by attaching draft compensation to the contract of Jusuf Nurkić,” Stein wrote on December 26.”
“The Phoenix Suns have been actively looking to trade starting center Jusuf Nurkic, league sources informed The Arizona Republic,” Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin wrote on December 24. “The Suns (14-14) are seeking a big in return, the sources said. The team has been playing Mason Plumlee, rookie Oso Ighodaro and Nurkic at the five position. Washington Wizards big Jonas Valančiūnas and Chicago Bulls big Nikola Vucevic are two players whose names have been reportedly thrown into league trade talks.”
Rankin noted the Bulls are seeking a first-round pick in a trade for Vucevic, per Stein and Jake Fischer for The Stein Line.
“After failing to extract any draft compensation from Oklahoma City in its Alex Caruso-for-Josh Giddey swap in June, Chicago is said to be seeking a first-round pick to part with center Nikola Vučević,” Stein and Fischer wrote for The Stein Line on December 14. “Do the Bulls have the resolve to hold out for a first-rounder?”
