The Chicago Bulls are expected to re-sign top free agent Nikola Vucevic despite having good reason to break up their current core.
According to Michael Scotto from Hoops Hype, the Bulls plan to re-sign Nikola Vucevic this offseason, with a contract projected to be in the range of three years, $65 million.
What does this mean for the Bulls going forward?
This seems like a situation where VP Arturas Karnisovas is willing to overpay for Vucevic due to the fact that Chicago traded assets for the center so recently.
The Magic sold Vuecvic at the right time as they were able to get Wendell Carter and two first-round picks. Those picks became Franz Wagner and an upcoming No. 11 overall pick in this season's draft. Wagner has ended up as a very great talent, averaging over 16 points per game during his two seasons with the Magic. Wagner looks like a talent that might be a future All-Star in the league.
NBA Rumors: Bulls plan to overpay for Nikola Vucevic
This shows that the Bulls might not sell out anytime soon. It would be wise for Chicago to move on from Zack LaVine due to the long-term ramifications of his contract. This signing suggests that the Bulls will not be doing this until a new regime is in the front office.
Bulls fans might wonder what would have happened if Lonzo Ball was healthy during his career with the team. Still, Ball might not play basketball this season or next aand this core is not anywhere near making a top-four seed in the East.
The Bulls should be selling their team for spare parts starting with Alex Caruso (who could land a first-round pick in return).
Rather than that, Chicago is going to continue on this mediocre path. Unless someone on the team makes a huge jump this season, this team is looking like a No. 7 or 8 seed at best.
