He was linked to the Lakers. He was linked to the Warriors. He was linked to pretty much any team in need of a solid center. Then, there were rumors that the Chicago Bulls would buy out the final year of his $21.5 million contract, allowing him to sign elsewhere as a free agent.
Nikola Vucevic brushed them all off. The 14-year NBA veteran has been dealing with rumors his entire career, and he has been traded a couple times, he knows what that experience was like. What was happening this summer was nothing like that, he told BasketUSA in an interview as he practices with Montenegro for the EuroBasket championships starting in a week (hat tip to Real GM for the translation).
“The Bulls’ GM [Marc Eversley] had contacted me after all the rumors about me, confirmed that nothing was true and that everything we had said to each other after the season was still relevant. I knew it but it’s always nice when your GM contacts you to tell you…
“There are always rumors. Most of them are false. It’s a bit of nonsense. For example, the buy-out was misinterpreted in Europe: the journalist wrote that if there was no ‘trade’ during the season, there might be a ‘buy-out’ option before the ‘deadline.’ I know how the business works, in the last year of a contract, there is always speculation. Since I can’t control anything, I try not to worry about it.”
Last season, Vucevic averaged 18.5 points and 10.1 rebounds a game, shooting 40.2% from 3-point range on 4.4 attempts a game. He is a high-quality offensive center who could help a lot of teams and has become a key part of the Bulls’ attack, but is not the defensive anchor at the position that a lot of teams are seeking in the modern game.
Vucevic added in the interview that he is “almost certain” he will be with the Bulls when the season opens, which makes sense as he is clearly the starter at the five and one of only two true centers on the 15-man roster (Zach Collins is the other).
Whether he is in Chicago when the season ends is another question. He’s a 34-year-old center in the final year of his contract — players in that situation are often available in trades, and can be bought out to save money after the trade deadline. That is possible here, depending on what other moves Chicago makes. The Bulls front office has to be thinking about what comes next at the five, although figuring out the Bulls front office’s long-term vision is a challenge in and of itself.
Whatever that plan is, it includes Vucevic at the five to start the season.
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