He's Back! Bulls sign Nikola Vucevic to $60 million deal |
With NBA free agency set to begin on Friday, there are still so many questions surrounding this roster and their plans. Some of those plans were initially answered Wednesday afternoon as the Bulls and Nikola Vucevic have agreed on a new contract. What was expected to be discussed became a reality as the sides agreed to a good three-year 60 million dollar deal.
That will make him the 10th highest-paid center in the game, and he is coming off a four-year 100 million dollar contract that he finished last season. Given the franchise's state and current direction, it is understandable that some fans are upset about the move. However, diving deeper into it, you realize it is better than it seems, especially when you look at his production in Chicago. Most NBA experts expected Vucevic to land somewhere between 18-22 million per season. He settled on a contract literally right in the middle, so his market value was about as accurate as can be when looking at his production. It would be interesting to see who the Bulls were bidding against to keep him, but the bottom line is that Vooch is a walking double-double and is returning to Chicago for three more seasons. Since joining the Bulls as part of the Wendell Carter Jr trade during the 2020-21 season, Vucecvic has been the most durable player on the team and one of the more consistent. He has averaged 18.2 PPG, 11.1 RPG and has knocked down the most threes all-time among Bulls centers. Those would be solid numbers for any team, but when you consider he is your third option, he instantly becomes one of the best third options in the league. With the Bulls stuck in neutral about whether or not to rebuild, most fans expected the Bulls to move on from Vucevic or, at the very worst, trade him for assets. Granted, that could still come, but there are some reasons why this deal makes sense for Chicago. First, Vucevic is a durable player and highly productive on the court. You know what you will get from him, and as long as he stays, he can be an outstanding player for this team for another three seasons. This extension allows the Bulls to focus on the next portion of their reshaping of the roster. Another reason this deal is a good pickup for the Bulls is the scoring punch he brings to the table. With Lonzo Ball out again and Coby White and Patrick Williams struggling to find consistency, it was a two-man show in Chicago with Demar DeRozan and Zach Lavine leading the way. DeRozan isn't getting any younger and is entering the final year of his contract, so at some point, Chicago knew he would be hitting the free-agent market. His absence will put this team in a tough spot offensively, as he is their second-best scoring option. Keeping Vucevic around allows them to overcome that, as Vooch could settle into that secondary offensive role to give the Bulls a nice inside-out Combe alongside Lavine. Perhaps the most important part of this pickup is his continuity with the coaching staff and the size he brings upfront. Being short on frontcourt help, losing Vucevic would have put this team in an incredibly tough position, as they would've needed to find height in a hurry. While he may not solve all of that, he is a 6-11 C and will address the concerns of the Bulls in this position. Not expected to do much this offseason, the Reinsdorf family has signed off on the Bulls passing the Luxury Tax for the second time in team history. Although we have to see it to believe it, a move like this signals the possibility of the front office being a bit more aggressive, as this is an excellent pickup and is hopefully the beginning of plenty more.
