He loves me … loves me not … he loves me … he loves me not.
The Golden State Warriors continue to play with the Chicago Bulls’ hearts as the NBA’s trade deadline nears. Their reported interest in Nikola Vucevic dates back weeks, and he has been coined as one of their top targets numerous times. However, with the team sitting 11th in the Western Conference and the reality of a missed postseason setting in, the organization has been linked to even bigger moves.
Most recently, Kevin Durant and Jimmy Butler have dominated the conversation. A pursuit of either would be a pretty significant risk, though. Not only might the Warriors have to give up a fair number of assets, but each player has seemingly suggested they aren’t interested in landing in The Bay.
Brian Windhorst reported this week that Butler’s camp informed the Warriors that he would not re-sign with the team this offseason if they acquired him. As for Durant, while the reunion has seemingly gained a lot of traction, ESPN’s Shams Charania has reported that he has no interest in rejoining the organization where he won two championships.
Regardless, neither player possesses a no-trade clause, which means the Warriors could always shoot their shot and hope for the best. For what it’s worth, it seems like this is what they might do for the cheaper of the two options, as Marc Stein reported on Wednesday that they have shifted their focus back to Jimmy Butler following Durant’s disinterest.
Still, there is no guarantee they can get this deal done, particularly with Phoenix looming as an interested party. This is why it sounds like Golden State has a clear Plan B, which is to finally pull the trigger on a trade for Nikola Vucevic:
“If they miss out on those guys, potentially what you could see is a player like Nikola Vucevic of the Chicago Bulls at center,” Charania said love on ESPN.
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times and K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network each went on to echo this statement with their own reports that suggest the veteran could be a fallback.
In other words, no one seems to be ruling out the possibility of Vucevic ending up in Golden State by Thursday’s 2:00 p.m. CT deadline. But it sure sounds like this thing could come down to the wire. This feels especially true when we consider Johnson shared that the Warriors are still uncomfortable with the Bulls’ asking price, which has reportedly been a problem for weeks.
© Brett Davis-Imagn ImagesCould the Bulls finally drop that price tag as the hours tick off the clock? Absolutely, but waiting until the last second also makes some sense, as the Warriors could be desperate if a Butler deal doesn’t get done. Likewise, they may have just gotten a leverage boost from a big-man trade that dropped while I was typing this up.
The Sacramento Kings have continued making moves, sending two second-round picks to the Wizards in exchange for Jonas Valanciunas. Not only does this take one of the top center options off the board, but it arguably establishes a baseline. Vucevic has clearly had a more impactful season than Valanciunas and is thus worth more than two seconds. Is his contract more expensive? Yes, but he is also an obvious starter, whereas Valanciunas will be anchoring the second unit.
While I guess we can’t say for certain that two second-rounders is what Golden State has tried to convince the Bulls to take for Vucevic … it can be speculated. The organization only has two tradeable second-rounders and has deemed the Bulls’ asking price of a first-round pick too steep. So, yeah, we can connect some dots.
We also shouldn’t forget that merely taking Valanciunas off the market should work in the Bulls’ favor. The supply has gone down, which naturally gives the Bulls a reason to play some hardball.
Nevertheless, the Bulls need to work hard to find a taker for Nikola Vucevic over the next handful of hours. The Zach LaVine trade put them on a clear rebuilding path and now isn’t the time to take your foot off the gas.
Alas …
Um, the Chicago Bulls Better Not Be Done … Read More Details
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