The Bulls and Nikola Vucevic agree to an extension. Is that a good thing?

Given his contribution over the last season, Chicago’s big man was always going to be a point of interest in free agency but it seems the franchise has put an end to any speculation about his future, by tying things up rather neatly.

Chicago Bulls and Nikola Vucevic agree to an extension

According to an official team announcement on Wednesday, the Chicago Bulls and Nikola Vucevic have put pen to paper on a three-year, $60 million extension. Alongside the Bucks’ Brook Lopez, Vucevic was Widely considered one of the best centers in free agency, which is probably why the Bulls decided to wrap things up swiftly. During the last season, the 32-year-old averaged 17.6 points and 11 rebounds in what has got to be considered a comeback campaign following a disappointing campaign one year prior.

You may recall that the Bulls acquired Vucevic at the 2021 trade deadline in a deal that has been heavily criticized since it was finalized. Do remember, that in order to land the Montenegrin, the franchise had to part company with Wendell Carter Jr., who has gone on to become a player that many see as better than Vucevic. There were also draft picks in Franz Wagner and Michigan’s Jett Howard, both of whom have grown into veritable stars. That said, Bulls general manager, Arturas Karnisovas, recently stated that he “thought that deal worked out pretty well for us.”

Is this the right move for the Bulls and Nikola Vucevic?

Since his arrival, the Bulls have been to the postseason just once, and it ended with a play-in-round loss to the Miami Heat. While he’s by no means old, he is in fact on the wrong side of 30, and with that, we’re likely to see a decrease in the standard of his play as the clock ticks on. It should be said, that this is not limited to Vucevic alone, indeed the Bulls have a number of players on the roster who are in the same boat. Then there is Lonzo Ball who has been ruled out for the entirety of the coming season, and may actually not play again if some reports prove to be true. After that, we’ve got the Bulls’ talisman in DeMar DeRozan, however, he too is beyond 30 - he’ll be 34 this summer - so again, the situation is tricky, and even more so considering that the Bulls are reportedly listening to trade requests for their other All-Star, Zach Lavine.

Ultimately, though there has been talk of a rebuild, the franchise has more or less been able to maintain the same roster that it had last season. What that means is that should they manage to hold on to free agents Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White, and Patrick Beverley, they could actually get within touching distance of the luxury tax. For a team that has seemingly prioritized staying competitive without breaking the bank, that’s pretty impressive. With that said, the deal comes as a bit of a blow to any ambitions that the team might have going forward. Especially when one considers that they’ve only paid the tax twice since 2001. As we say, watch this space.