A New Suitor for Nikola Vucevic? Zach LaVine Market Update

The Chicago Bulls trade rumors have been stuck on simmer.

While reports have made it clear that Arturas Karnisovas is ready to answer calls, the phone lines have not appeared particularly busy. For as well as Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic have played, the additional years and expenses on their contracts have been a deterrent for some. Likewise, it sounds like Chicago isn’t prepared to sell either player for cheap.

Nevertheless, the Bulls’ asking price could always change as the Feb. 6, 2025 trade deadline nears. We can say the same about the sheer level of interest in both veteran All-Stars around the league. This is why we’ll continue to keep a very close eye on trade rumors big and small. You never quite know when things will reach a boiling point!

Bulls Trade Rumors

Suns Interested in Nikola Vucevic

We have heard very little regarding which teams – if any – have a genuine interest in acquiring Nikola Vucevic. All we do know at this point in time is that the Bulls are reportedly hoping to receive a first-round pick for the big man’s services. Considering he is averaging 20.7 points on a career-high 65.3 effective field goal percentage, per Cleaning the Glass, this doesn’t sound like an outlandish request. Whether or not someone will bite, however, is a fair question.

With that said, Marc Stein of The Stein Line named at least one team this week that could weigh the possibility of adding the Bulls’ starting center.

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.

Few teams in the league are as all-in as the Phoenix Suns, so the fact they are looking to make a splash doesn’t come as a surprise. This is especially true when we consider how much Jusuf Nurkic has struggled since manning starting center duties last season. While the veteran has averaged 9.7 rebounds per game, he’s also scoring only 9.0 points per game on a problematic 45.7 percent shooting from the field. The Suns score a -5.9 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor, which ranks in the league’s 15th percentile.

Vucevic would offer Phoenix the same rebounding consistency with significantly more offensive upside. His ability to space the floor would also make considerably more sense alongside scorers like Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal.

Nevertheless, it’s hard to picture the Bulls entertaining discussions. Nurkic has one more year on his current deal at $19.4 million, and we already know the Bulls aren’t looking to eat bad contracts. Even if Chicago changed their stance on taking dead money (and they should), the Suns also don’t necessarily have the draft compensation to make it worth their wild. They can not currently trade a single one of their future first-round picks and have only three second-round picks at their disposal.

I should probably also mention that it’s actually impossible for the Suns to trade Nurkic for Vucevic right now! Since they are a second-apron team, they can not take back more salary than they send out NOR aggregate salaries to acquire a player. In other words, since Nurkic ($18.1 million) makes less than Vucevic ($20.0 million), a one-for-one swap + draft compensation would not be allowed. Phoenix would have to make other pretty major moves to put themselves below the second tax apron and receive the green light to pursue Vucevic.

With that being the case, this rumor sure feels hollow. I suppose hearing about any level of interest is better than the alternative, but we’re still waiting for a legitimate suitor to emerge for the big man.

Zach LaVine’s Market

Zach LaVine’s trade buzz has seen a tiny bump in recent weeks thanks to the ties to the Denver Nuggets. Still, it sounds like things are moving rather slowly and that stirring up a bidding war isn’t in the cards for Chicago.

Here is what Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times shared about LaVine’s market earlier this week:

There have been whispers about the Lakers for over a year, but a source said the pieces that would have to be swapped don’t fit, and the Lakers remain steadfast that Austin Reaves isn’t going to be included.

The Sun-Times reported that the Nuggets rumor did have “light momentum” as of last week, but that’s as far as it has gotten. Both teams have sent out feelers in early talks of what a deal would look like, but it hasn’t progressed.

I’m encouraged that so many different sources have confirmed that the Nuggets are considering LaVine, but we obviously remain in the early stages of those talks. It’s also a bummer to know a team like Los Angeles isn’t expected to enter the chat. They have long made a lot of sense for LaVine and have some expiring deals/draft compensation the Bulls should want.

Indeed, if the Lakers continue to consider other options, it really makes you wonder which other teams will legitimately evaluate adding LaVine. The Golden State Warriors still make sense on the surface, as do the Clippers, but we have yet to hear either team connected to the two-time All-Star.