For months, some believe the Chicago Bulls are lurking in the shadows and waiting to make a big trade. Arturas Karnisovas has been very aggressive since arriving in Chicago, so we wouldn't be shocked if that were true.
But as it stands now, the Bulls will have to use Nikola Vucevic as a trade chip, as they don't have many assets they could part ways with and still contend in the Eastern Conference.
Heat Could Pursue Another Big Man
Fortunately for them, it seems like Pat Riley and the Miami Heat could gladly take him off their hands once the season starts:
“There are not a lot of teams actively looking for big guys now, especially frontline big guys,” an NBA executive told Heavy's Sean Deveney. “I think once the season gets going, if there is an injury, maybe that gets revisited. But probably the only team — and we’d have to see how things shake out there — is Miami. They wanted to make a big move, and they did not, not yet.Bulls Wanted Duncan Robinson
The Bulls could facilitate this by taking back Duncan Robinson's big contract. They were interested in him before he signed that extension with the Heat:
“The Bulls had some interest in Duncan Robinson before and if the Heat really wanted Vuc, that could be the basis of a deal, Vuc for Robinson," the report added. "The Heat would have to add [Omer] Yurtseven, give Chicago a big guy to work with. And the Bulls would probably want them to take back Tony Bradley just to have a little more money under the tax in case they want to add a guy.”Why Would Bulls Do This?
Vucevic was excellent in his first half-season in the Windy City, but the encore wasn't as promising. He was often misplaced defensively, and his offensive numbers dropped upon DeMar DeRozan's arrival.
He's a walking double-double threat, but he's not the kind of player they need right now. On the other hand, Robinson would give them one of the best sharpshooters in the league and another option to spread the floor off the bench.
Would Heat Get Better?
While the Adebayo/Vucevic pairing could seem odd on paper, Erik Spoelstra has never hesitated to go big when needed. Also, Vuc can spread the floor with his shooting, while Adebayo can make up for his defensive flaws in the paint.
The Heat are reportedly keeping tabs on nearly every big name in the market, so landing Vucevic means they swung for the fences and struck out. This would be an interesting move, that's for sure.
]]>The Inquisitr
