The Chicago Bulls have a ton of tough choices to make this summer, especially if they want to remain competitive, as Arturas Karnisovas has been firm about. First on their list, however, needs to be Nikola Vucevic‘s free agency, no matter if they decide to re-sign him, let him walk, or attempt a sign-and-trade.
Vucevic is an unrestricted free agent this summer. The 32-year-old big man played all 82 games this past season and was a walking double-double. However, since he’s unrestricted, other teams can make a run at him. Keith Smith of Spotrac thinks the Oklahoma City Thunder could be a potential landing spot for the center.
The Thunder will welcome Chet Holmgren to the court next season, as he missed his entire rookie year with an injury. Smith believes a veteran center like Vucevic, Brook Lopez, or Jakob Poeltl could pair nicely alongside Holmgren.
“For example, let’s say Thunder GM Sam Presti and coach Mark Daigneault (one of the up-and-coming best coaches in the league) decide what they need is true five to help Chet Holmgren transition to the NBA,” Smith wrote. “(Or maybe they decide Holmgren is more of a four than a five, which is still an open question). The Thunder could hand a contract worth $25 million or more per season to Brook Lopez or Nikola Vucevic or Jakob Poeltl. The key will be to keep that deal short enough (no more than two seasons), that if it goes sideways, OKC isn’t on the hook for very long.”
With Holmgren’s skinny frame, pairing him with a traditional center could be a great idea. Plus, with the Thunder making the Play-In this past season, they could be ready to make a leap forward. Vucevic or one of the other big men Smith mentioned could help them do just that.
