NEWSLETTER
Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan may fill most of the headlines, but the Chicago Bulls’ “core” includes one more name.
Nikola Vucevic arguably represents this most recent era of Bulls basketball. He was the key trade chip added at the front office’s first deadline, paving the way for the aggressive moves that would follow in the upcoming offseason. The organization gave up significant assets to add the two-time All-Star center, so much so that they weren’t going to let him walk for nothing once his contract ended.
Indeed, despite lackluster results, Arutras Karnisovas and Marc Eversley continued to hitch their wagon to the big man. They signed Vucevic to a three-year, $60 million deal last offseason to keep him from hitting unrestricted free agency. The contract implied that Vucevic would remain a part of the franchise’s plans. But that’s not what a recent report seems to suggest.
According to Matt Moore of Action Network, the Chicago Bulls are in the market for one of the NBA’s top shot-blockers: “Clint Capela is a popular trade target with the Grizzlies, Wizards, Pelicans and Bulls having expressed interest,” Moore wrote in his latest intel piece.
So … yeah … I have thoughts.
Are the Chicago Bulls Looking for a New Center?
Few things are more on-brand for the Chicago Bulls than giving a center $20 million annually only to be linked one year later to another veteran starter.
To be clear, their interest in a player of Clint Capela’s make-up shouldn’t surprise anyone. Not only is he among the league’s elite rebounders, but he’s also a considerably more imposing defensive presence. Capela finished No. 1 in total OREBs this past season with Atlanta, and he also finished ninth in total blocks. As for offensively, he doesn’t possess the same kind of scoring ability as Vucevic in either the post or mid-range, but he is a springy roll-man and lob threat who would offer a nice change of pace.
I’d also be remiss not to mention that Capela – who just turned 30 years old last month – is set to enter the final year of his contract. If the Bulls found a way to replace Vucevic with him, they could open up some financial flexibility sooner (or at least have a chance to re-sign Capela to a number that isn’t as large as Vucevic’s). Capela should also come decently cheap considering his expiring deal AND that Atlanta is likely to draft a big man at the top of the draft.
Nevertheless, isn’t this the type of trade that feels like re-arranging furniture? Capela may offer a different skill set, but I’m not sure anyone is prepared to say that he would significantly change the Bulls’ trajectory. If anything, he doesn’t necessarily fit into the style of play we know Billy Donovan and this team likes to run. The Bulls have preferred big men who can space the floor and contribute as connective passers. Capela isn’t known to do either.
If the Bulls are truly desperate to find another option at center, they might as well look at this draft class. While this prospect pool isn’t the most attractive, it is potentially deep in rotational centers. Whether it be Donovan Clingan, Kel’el Ware, Zach Edey, or Yves Missi, there are a handful of young bigs the Bulls could consider targeting in the first round as possible Vucevic replacements down the road.
Anyway, I will choose to look at the glass-half-full side of this report … for now. The mere fact that the Chicago Bulls are mentioned as having an interest in Capela suggests that they have an interest in moving on from Vucevic (they’re not dumb enough to pay two centers $20+ million, right?). This means that anything really could be on the table over the next couple of weeks, which is at least something.
