The Chicago Bulls were supposed to be in tank mode after they traded away Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings on Feb. 5. Despite trying to shop Nikola Vucevic to the Golden State Warriors, among other teams, before the trade deadline, the Bulls ultimately decided to keep the aging center at least until the summer.
Chicago didn’t receive an offer high enough for Vucevic. Keeping him on the team meant the Bulls needed to decide between shutting him down for the season (as he dealt with a calf sprain in February and March) or letting him return to work with a young roster trying to earn a berth in the Play-In Tournament, and potentially the playoffs.
The Chicago Bulls are on fire in March
The Bulls have caught fire in recent weeks, winning eight of their last 10 outings and earning a 32-40 record, good enough for No. 9 in the Eastern Conference. They’re two games back from the Orlando Magic for the No. 8 spot and 3.5 games away from the Atlanta Hawks for No. 7.
Coby White has been the star of the show in Chicago, but Vucevic has been a big help on the boards. He scored 13 points and recorded eight rebounds and two assists in the Bulls’ 129-119 win over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. At 34, he’s averaging 18.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game this season.
Nikola Vucevic doesn’t want to be traded now
Per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Bulls’ resurgence in March has Vucevic rethinking his career trajectory. He’s buying into Chicago’s plan and wants to finish his contract with the Bulls instead of being traded to another playoff contender.
“One player who’s suddenly buying in — and would like to stay another season and finish out his contract — is Vucevic,” Cowley wrote. “That’s a bit surprising, especially after good friend DeMar DeRozan was traded to the Kings and Alex Caruso to the Thunder last summer, followed by the LaVine trade. All signs had pointed to Vucevic being traded by the Feb. 6 deadline, and when he wasn’t, there were concerns he’d check out.”
Vucevic likes the way the young roster is competing
Vucevic likes the way the current roster competes.
“Who knows what happens in the summer, but right now I’m focused on this group of guys,” Vucevic said. “I’ve really enjoyed playing with them. Guys with good character, guys that really want to win, they care. We play for each other, we compete, and that’s what you want.”
The Bulls are one of the hottest teams in the league right now, but that will likely change around the time of the Play-In Tournament when the intensity heightens up around the Association. Chicago’s optimism could fade if they don’t find the same success in April that they did in March.
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