Heading into the offseason, the Chicago Bulls decided to push forward rather than hit the reset button. Arturas Karnisovas said they had no plans to rebuild the roster, and based on the moves they’ve made so far this summer, he’s kept his word.
Chicago re-signed Coby White to a new deal and brought in free agents Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig. In addition, they handed star big man Nikola Vucevic a new contract extension for three years and $60 million. However, according to BlogABull.com, the last move was a big mistake.
They pushed back on the general notion that $20 million is fair value regardless of the Bulls’ position, stating, “that’s not how this is supposed to work.”
“And to the point of the contract not being too bad in absolute terms (you could say ‘in a vacuum’, but it’s more ‘like a vacuum’ in that it sucks). … That’s not how this is supposed to work.
If we’re being objective about Vuc’s market value: his production, age, impact, and, well, market, made him more a role player tier deserving of the mid-level exception of $14.3M. That’s what the Bulls should’ve considered ‘fair,’ and if Vuc was indeed willing to give them a ‘hometown discount’ as reported in several places, that number should’ve been less than that above fair market value, not way more. Want the mid-level instead from a contender? Enjoy moving your family to Cleveland. Want more money? Enjoy cranking out 20 points for 20 wins in San Antonio,” they wrote.
This past year, the Bulls were bounced in the play-in tournament, and while their free agency signings have been solid, they will not get them in the title race. Because of that, the Vucevic contract could end up being a mistake.
