3 Chicago Bulls who definitely won’t be back next season

1. Nikola Vučević

The Bulls gave up quite a haul when they decided to pull off a blockbuster trade with the Magic to acquire Nikola Vučević. Chicago sent former lottery pick Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr., and two first-round picks to the Magic in exchange for the All-Star center.

Unfortunately for the Bulls, one of those first-round picks turned out to be Franz Wagner, one of the best young wing players in the NBA. It is a tough pill to swallow considering the Magic still have another first-round pick from the Bulls and Wendell Carter Jr. has proven to be a very productive NBA center.

However, Vučević has performed well during his time with the Bulls. Since being traded to the team in 2021, Vučević has averaged 18.2 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.

While he continues to be one of the most productive centers in the NBA, the Bulls made this trade because they felt it could help them compete for a title.

Vučević will turn 33 early next season and is still performing at a high level. He will certainly have plenty of suitors in free agency who may be willing to pay him more than his current $22 million salary because the NBA salary cap continues to increase.

The Bulls are in the bottom half of the league when it comes to average age by team roster and should certainly have an eye toward the future.

With the Magic owning the rights to their 2023 first-round pick as a result of the trade for Nikola Vučević, they must find ways to get creative if they want to add young talent.

Chicago has nearly $70 million committed to their two franchise players for next season. Can they afford to extend Vučevic to a long-term deal while also continuing to add more pieces around Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan?

That is unlikely when two players on the roster make up more than 50 percent of the NBA’s salary cap.

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