5 offseason moves the Chicago Bulls have to make

3. Clarify Nikola Vucevic’s future

The Bulls gave up a lot to acquire Vucevic from the Magic last season and the time is fast approaching that Chicago either needs to extend or deal their talented post player. He lacks the quickness required to thrive in the postseason, but it’s hard to envision a scenario where the Bulls move him due to his value as a scorer in their half-court sets.

The key for the front office will be to avoid overpaying Vucevic in terms of dollars or years. He’s already 32-years-old which means his athleticism will probably decline sharply over the life of his next deal. That makes a long-term contract a potential albatross that the Bulls should avoid at all costs.

Even a two or three-year deal somewhere around his current salary of $22 million per year will carry significant risk for Chicago. Unfortunately, that’s probably the type of deal that will be required to keep Vucevic from hitting unrestricted free agency.

Chicago doesn’t necessarily need to get Vucevic to put pen to paper this offseason, but they should get a clear idea of what he’s looking for. If he expects to get a lucrative, five-year deal then Chicago should trade him while he still has some semblance of value.