After a disappointing summer that ended in a Play-In Tournament exit, the Chicago Bulls have a ton of work to do this summer if they hope to improve. Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are under contract heading into next season, and now, Nikola Vucevic is, too.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Bulls and Vucevic agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $60 million. Now, the veteran big man will be back in Chicago as the team looks to push for the playoffs, and he’s excited to be back in the fold with the Bulls.
Vucevic put out a statement after signing his extension, per Daniel Greenberg. He says that he is extremely motivated to help the Bulls reach their goals moving forward.
“Nikola Vučević said in a statement that he’s excited to continue to play for the Chicago Bulls and is ‘motivated more than ever to achieve our mutual goals as a team. I want to thank Bulls fans for the constant support, you guys are the best part about playing in Chicago,'” Greenberg tweeted.
Nikola Vučević said in a statement that he’s excited to continue to play for the Chicago Bulls and is “motivated more than ever to achieve our mutual goals as a team. I want to thank Bulls fans for the constant support, you guys are the best part about playing in Chicago.“
— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) June 28, 2023
This past season, Vucevic played in all 82 games for the Bulls and averaged a double-double. He’s a solid player, but there are some questions regarding whether or not it was worth bringing him back for the price he’s set to be paid if Chicago won’t be a guaranteed playoff squad.
From the looks of it, the Bulls are content with being a middle-of-the-pack team heading into next season.
