3 key players the Chicago Bulls could trade this offseason

The Chicago Bulls could trade center Nikola Vucevic

Over the course of the 2021-2022 season, Nikola Vucevic averaged 17.6 points and 11.0 rebounds per game on 47 percent shooting overall.

His stat line might look nice, but where the real problem was last season is behind the three-point line. Vucevic shot just 31.4 percent from deep, which was his worst mark in five years. There were games last season that Vucevic struggled mightily behind the three-point line, and he continued to fire up shots. Normally, a shooter should keep on shooting — but last season, Vucevic was far from a “shooter.”

The offense needs to go through DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, assuming the latter re-signs. Vucevic cannot continue taking so many shots from beyond the arc, and missing them, disallowing the Bulls to stay competitive in games.

If he sticks around, Vucevic is a fine scorer inside the paint. That’s where he’s at his best. He shot nearly 54 percent on two-point shots last year. However, if Billy Donovan’s idea of consistently throwing him behind the three-point line continues, then the Bulls’ offense will face even more suffering.

At this rate, it would be best to trade him — and maybe even include him in a deal for 3-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, whom the Bulls are rumored to be in on. Again, they’re rumored to like Mitchell Robinson, too, so Vucevic is anything but safe.