<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-matas-buzelis-reminds-nikola-vucevic-nba-greats');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Bulls’ Matas Buzelis reminds Nikola Vucevic of NBA greats');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Matas-Buzelis.jpg"><figcaption>Matt Marton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Why Bulls’ Matas Buzelis reminds Nikola Vucevic of NBA greats</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-22T22:06:47-07:00">October 22nd, 10:06pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-22T22:06:47-07:00">October 22nd, 10:06pm</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is a Senior Editor, NFL and NCAA Sports Lead at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Chicago Bulls are in a rebuilding phase in 2025-26, but that didn’t stop them from getting in the win column on opening night. In front of a packed crowd at the United Center, the Bulls picked up a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-ayo-dosumnnu-patrick-williams-season-opener">115-111 win over the Detroit Pistons</a> to get going in the right direction this season.</p><p>Nikola Vucevic starred for the Bulls, finishing with 28 points and 14 rebounds to lead all scorers. However, he got plenty of help from his second-year teammate Matas Buzelis, who racked up 21 points and six boards in the win. After the game, Vucevic gave Buzelis a strong endorsement and claimed he <a href="https://x.com/CodyWesterlund/status/1981206810804834432" rel="noopener">reminds him of some of the greats</a>, via Cody Westerlund of 670 The Score.</p><p>“What I really like about him is he has a little bit of cockiness in him, but not in a bad way,” Vucevic said. “He just has belief, which all the great ones do have. Obviously, he still has to continue to work, but I think he’s taken huge steps from last season.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-editorials/matas-buzelis-bulls-breakout-coby-white-injury">Buzelis has a versatile skillset and a lot of potential</a> after the Bulls took him in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, so it’s good to see him get off to a good start this season. If he can emerge as a true franchise centerpiece for this Bulls squad moving forward, this season can be viewed as a success no matter what the final win-loss record ends up being.</p><p>However, after this showing in the first game of the year against a team that went to the playoffs last season, the Bulls will have their eyes on a playoff berth this year. They have other promising young pieces around Buzelis, and they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-coby-white-will-miss-start-of-season-with-calf-injury">played without point guard Coby White</a> on Wednesday night as he works his way back from a calf injury.</p><p>On top of that, Vucevic can still carry the load offensively at times with his ability to score at all three levels of the floor. If Buzelis can step up as another go-to guy that Chicago can rely on each and every night, this could be a sneaky competitive team in the Eastern Conference.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Bulls’ Matas Buzelis reminds Nikola Vucevic of NBA greats

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-editorials/nikola-vucevic-bulls-unique-gunslinger');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Nikola Vucevic is still Bulls’ unique gunslinger');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Oct-22-2025-Chicago-Illinois-USA-Detroit-Pistons-forward-Isaiah-Stewart-28-fouls-Chicago-Bulls-center-Nikola-Vucevic-9-during-the-first-half-at-United-Center-1.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Why Nikola Vucevic is still Bulls’ unique gunslinger</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-22T20:19:19-07:00">October 22nd, 8:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-22T20:19:19-07:00">October 22nd, 8:19pm</time><address><a>Zachary Draves</a>Zachary Draves is a sportswriter and broadcaster based in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa. Zachary covers a variety of different sports as well as sports history, sport and society, and sport and culture. He is also a professor of sociology.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>For over a decade, Nikola Vucevic has been an unmistakable presence in the NBA, first with the Orlando Magic and more recently with the Chicago Bulls. Additionally, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/eurobasket-news-nikola-vucevic-retirement-announcement" rel="noopener">he gave it his all</a> on the international front during tournaments such as Eurobasket for Montenegro. </p><p>Altogether, he has demonstrated a trifecta of efficiency, poise, and versatility. All of which was on full display on Wednesday during the Bulls’ season opener against the Detroit Pistons. Essentially, Vucevic didn’t skip a beat from start to finish. Altogether, he finished with a double-double that included 28 points and 14 rebounds. Plus, he added two assists and was a perfect 2-for-2 from the free throw line. </p><p>In all, Vucevic was 11-for-18 (62%) from the field.</p><p>Certainly not to be overlooked, Vucevic made four three-pointers as the Bulls went on to win in thrilling fashion 115-11. It also helped that Vucevic was on the floor to make some big shots down the stretch. The Pistons came back from 19 points down to bring it within single digits in the fourth quarter. </p><p>Nevertheless, Vuceivc’s performance shows that the 34-year-old isn’t slowing down anytime soon. That <a href="https://twitter.com/DravesZachary/status/1981198039462170948" rel="noopener">doesn’t go unoticed</a> from head coach Billy Donovan. </p><p>“Vooch does an unbelivable job professionally taking care of himself getting ready to turn 35,” Donovan said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Coach Billy Donovan on Nikola Vucevics amazing season opening performance.</p><p>“Vooch does an unbelievable job professionally taking care of himself getting ready to turn 35” <a href="https://t.co/1DGiUy4RRY">pic.twitter.com/1DGiUy4RRY</a></p><p>— Zachary Draves (@DravesZachary) <a href="https://twitter.com/DravesZachary/status/1981198039462170948?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>During the Bulls’ Media Day in September, Vucevic still <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-nikola-vucevic-young-mans-spirit-future" rel="noopener">maintained a strong love and passion</a> for the game. All the while, not letting his age and natural limitations that come with that define him. </p><p>Additionally, it is crunch time for Vucevic. Currently, he is in the final year of his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-nikola-vucevic-agrees-3-year-60-million-contract-extension">three-year $60 million contract</a>, which he signed in 2023. Additionally, there are rumors that the Bulls are <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-rumors-insider-hard-nikola-vucevic-trade-prediction">considering trading him</a>. Rumors that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-nikola-vucevic-calls-out-nonsense-rumors">Vucevic has emphatically refuted</a>. Recently, a report circulated that the Bulls were looking to <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/chicago-bulls/news/bulls-predicted-trade-nikola-vucevic-julian-phillips-133-million-shot-blocking-lob-threat/a1fb44491de1d5cb26cf9ea4?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=appeared_on" rel="noopener">negotiate a trade</a> with the Utah Jazz, per TJ Morin of The Sporting News. In return, Chicago would receive Julian Phillips and Walker Kessler. </p><p>With all that is on the table, Chicago should savor each moment with the one they call “Vooch”. </p><h2><b>The Bulls are lucky to have Nikola Vucevic while they still have him</b>.</h2><p>Nobody can deny that for a team of youngsters, it is good to have someone of the veteran pedigree that Vucevic possesses. Overall, he is the type of player to be counted on to set the example of what it means to be a complete player. He is an efficient scorer and playmaker, and can secure double-doubles on a routine basis. </p><p>Altogether, Vucevic can score from all spots on the floor, not just in the paint. He also has a really well-executed mid-range jumper and can shoot from beyond the arc when needed. Plus, he has excellent vision on the floor and can create opportunities for his teammates to score, particularly when finding the open man as he drives the defense up to him. </p><p>For seven consecutive seasons, he has averaged a double-double in scoring and rebounding. Throughout his time with the Bulls, that has been the case. All the while, Vucevic has become a fan favorite in Chicago, hence his nickname. Every time he gets introduced and/or scores, the loud sound of “Vooooch” reverberates through the United Center. </p><p>Then there he is, to keep the team together and provide the young guys with a role model to follow.</p><p>At this point, anything is possible. The good thing is that the season just started, and the best approach is to take one game at a time. Or the case of “Vooch”, play every game as if it were his last.  </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Nikola Vucevic is still Bulls’ unique gunslinger

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-chicago-trade-nikola-vucevic-replacement');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bulls urged to trade for $97 million Nikola Vucevic replacement');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Bulls-center-Nikola-Vucevic-with-the-Heat-in-the-background.jpg"><figcaption>Apr 9, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (9) reacts after making a three point basket against the Miami Heat during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Bulls urged to trade for $97 million Nikola Vucevic replacement</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-07T15:54:26-07:00">October 7th, 3:54pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-07T15:54:26-07:00">October 7th, 3:54pm</time><address><a>Zachary Draves</a>Zachary Draves is a sportswriter and broadcaster based in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa. Zachary covers a variety of different sports as well as sports history, sport and society, and sport and culture. He is also a professor of sociology.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It remains up in the air as to what Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic will end up. Vucevic, 34, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/eurobasket-news-nikola-vucevic-retirement-announcement" rel="noopener">retired from the Eurobasket tournament</a>, but is entering his 15th season in the NBA. </p><p>Additionally, rumors persist that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-rumors-insider-hard-nikola-vucevic-trade-prediction">Vucevic may be traded away</a> to another team. On Tuesday, just before the Bulls take on the Cavaliers to kick off the preseason, a name was <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25254953-1-ambitious-trade-target-every-team-during-2025-26-nba-season" rel="noopener">floated around</a> as a potential replacement, per Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report. That name was 26-year-old Nic Claxton of the Brooklyn Nets. </p><p>In July 2024, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/why-nic-claxtons-97m-contract-details-big-win-nets" rel="noopener">Claxton signed a four-year $97 million dea</a>l with the Nets. Currently, he has three years and $69.5 million left on his contract. Additionally, the Nets are in a state of rebuilding, and the deal centered on Claxton as the player to build the team around. </p><p>Meanwhile, Vucevic is embarking on the final year of his three-year $60 million deal with the Bulls. Afterward, he is slated to become an unrestricted free agent. Additionally, the Bulls aim to build upon their younger core for the future. </p><p>Last year, Vucevic ended the season averaging 18.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. At the same time, Claxton averaged 11.6 points and 8.9 rebounds. </p><p>Vucevic ended the season shooting 53% from the field, and Claxton shot 60% from the field. </p><h2><b>Could the Bulls actually make this happen?</b></h2><p>With all the particulars being examined, Chicago could execute on this trade if it really wants to. From a playing perspective, Claxton is a strong defender and can provide an advantage in the area that the Bulls need to strengthen. </p><p>Plus, he is younger and entering the prime of his career. Additionally, the deal <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/bulls/news/bulls-could-target-97-million-star-as-potential-nikola-vucevic-replacement#:~:text=pic.twitter.com/CCrCC1pirS,over%20the%202022%2D24%20seasons." rel="noopener">would comply with</a> the NBA’s salary matching rules. </p><p>However, there are some challenges. Because Vucevic is in the final year of his contract, trading him <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/article/bulls-rumors-bulls-slapped-harsh-152917156.html#:~:text=However%2C%20trading%20Vucevic%20and%20his,toward%20a%20buyout%20by%20midseason." rel="noopener">would be very difficult</a>. Additionally, Vucevic is more of an offensive weapon, whereas Claxton is more defensively oriented. The question will come down to which direction they want to go in. </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bulls urged to trade for $97 million Nikola Vucevic replacement

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-nikola-vucevic-young-mans-spirit-future');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bulls veteran Nikola Vucevic has a young man’s spirit with his future uncertain');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Bulls-center-Nikola-Vucevic-ii.jpg"><figcaption>David Banks-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Bulls veteran Nikola Vucevic has a young man’s spirit with his future uncertain</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-04T10:03:28-07:00">October 4th, 10:03am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-04T10:03:28-07:00">October 4th, 10:03am</time><address><a>Zachary Draves</a>Zachary Draves is a sportswriter and broadcaster based in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa. Zachary covers a variety of different sports as well as sports history, sport and society, and sport and culture. He is also a professor of sociology.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>A month ago, Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/eurobasket-news-nikola-vucevic-retirement-announcement">decided to retire from the Eurobasket tournament</a>. This time around, he is in the final year of his three-year $60 million contract with the Bulls.</p><p>As a result, his future in basketball remains unknown. Vucevic, 34, <a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bulls/2025/10/03/bad-news-vooch-critics-bulls-nikola-vucevic-feeling-young" rel="noopener">ultimately said</a> the decision to step away from international basketball was a personal one, per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.</p><p>‘‘The biggest impact on that was my family, my kids, my wife,’’ Vucevic said. ‘‘It takes a lot out of my summers. You’ve got training camp for a month, the competition, the preparation for it, so I just felt like it was the right moment to do it. I wanted to finish my national-team competition on a high. That was it.’’</p><p>During the Bulls Media Day on Monday, Vucevic maintained ‘I still feel very young, actually”. Hinting that he isn’t done yet.</p><p>All the while, the Bulls’ veteran center is being<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-nikola-vucevic-calls-out-nonsense-rumors"> swarmed by rumors of a possible trade</a>. After Vucevic’s performance in the final EuroBasket, Chicago coach Billy Donovan said that He remains a consistent presence and has no real concerns about his readiness.</p><p>‘‘He actually played for the national team, and I think he was one of the leaders during the tournament in terms of minutes played,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘I know he led Montenegro in minutes played, so he showed the propensity and endurance to do that. I think the other thing is — and credit to him because I’ve always talked to him about this — he keeps himself in great shape, he takes care of his body.”</p><p>‘‘I’m not going into the season saying, ‘Hey, we’ve got to drop Vooch down to here [in playing time].’ What we’ve got to be able to do is give every player the opportunity. I think Vooch has proven over his career that he’s come [into a season] ready.’’</p><p>Last season, Vucevic averaged 18.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. He also played in 73 games and shot 50% from the field.</p><h2><b>What does the future hold for the Bulls’ remaining veteran?</b></h2><p>After the conclusion of this season, Vucevic next phase is up in the air. Given that the Bulls are looking to developing its younger players, they will see how Vucevic is able to maintain the same level of consistency.</p><p>Nevertheless, Vucevic said that he has been in contact with management and is prepared for whatever comes next.</p><p>‘‘I had good communication with the front office throughout the summer,’’ Vucevic said. ‘‘As you guys all know, there were many rumors, different kinds. I always say it’s part of the job I’m in, we’re all in, and it comes with the territory. If a trade would have happened, it would have happened. It didn’t, and I’m glad to be here.”</p><p>‘‘I didn’t pay too much attention. Maybe before the draft [in June] because that’s when I thought maybe something could happen, but overall I tried to focus on the offseason, my family and the international stuff.</p><p>‘‘It’s something that’s out of my control, so I didn’t pay attention to it too much.’’</p><p>Vucevic has played 14 years in the NBA. Since 2011, he has played for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Orlando Magic. He has been with Chicago since 2020.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bulls veteran Nikola Vucevic has a young man’s spirit with his future uncertain

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-rumors-insider-hard-nikola-vucevic-trade-prediction');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bulls rumors: Insider makes ‘hard’ Nikola Vucevic trade prediction');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Vucevic-shoots.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Ross-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Bulls rumors: Insider makes ‘hard’ Nikola Vucevic trade prediction</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-24T08:45:38-07:00">September 24th, 8:45am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-24T08:45:38-07:00">September 24th, 8:45am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Chicago Bulls are less than a month away from kicking off their 2025-26 season against the Detroit Pistons. The<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/3-chicago-bulls-trade-targets-keep-eye-2025-26-nba-season"> Bulls didn’t have</a> a crazy eventful offseason, recently <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/josh-giddey-bulls-grades-100-million-contract-extension">re-signing guard Josh Giddey</a> but not doing much else to change the team from last year.</p><p>One player who has survived trade rumors for years now is big man Nikola Vucevic. Recently, former Bulls player and current commentator Stacey King had insider KC Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network on his Gimme Da Hot Sauce podcast to <a href="https://www.hoopshype.com/story/sports/nba/rumors/2025/09/24/kc-johnson-so-to-me-vooch-is-you-never-have-to-worry/86323469007/" rel="noopener">relay why he thinks</a> a Vucevic trade is unlikely, at least in the short term.</p><p>“So to me, Vooch is—you never have to worry about him. He is the ultimate professional and really, to me, can fit in any style of play because he’s just so skilled and so smart,” said Johnson, per Hoopshype. “But yeah, I personally think it’s going to be hard for them to trade him. I mean, because he’s an expiring contract now—and what team is going to give up a lot, when they can probably sign him for pretty cheap on the open market next season, as a veteran piece for a winning team?”</p><p>However, Johnson clarified that he doesn’t anticipate Vucevic staying a Bulls player forever.</p><p>“So, I think Vooch will get his wish eventually. I just don’t think it’ll happen this year. I think in the 2026–2027 season, you’ll see him sign in unrestricted free agency—to a smaller contract—for a championship-contending team. Because look: he can help a winning team. He can help any team. He’s a very skilled player. Very skilled player,” he said.</p><h2>An awkward fit for the Bulls</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Vucevic-shoots.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Ross-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>A team with players like Josh Giddey, Coby White, and Kevin Huerter in the lineup needs all the defensive help it can get, and Vucevic is not exactly an anchor on that end of the floor.</p><p>However, as King mentioned, he is a solid veteran with an elite offensive skillset who could theoretically help many contending teams at some point down the line.</p><p>In any case, the Bulls are set to open up their 2025-26 season at home against the Detroit Pistons on October 22.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bulls rumors: Insider makes ‘hard’ Nikola Vucevic trade prediction

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/chicago-bulls/eurobasket-news-nikola-vucevic-retirement-announcement');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nikola Vucevic makes retirement announcement after EuroBasket elimination');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Vucevic-1.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Ross-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nikola Vucevic makes retirement announcement after EuroBasket elimination</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-03T07:47:07-07:00">September 3rd, 7:47am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-03T07:47:07-07:00">September 3rd, 7:47am</time><address><a href="https://www.downeuclid.com">Evan Dammarell</a>Evan Dammarell is an award-winning sports journalist covering all things Cleveland, including the Cavs, right off the shores of Lake Erie. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic confirmed that EuroBasket 2025 <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1963227079136231933" rel="noopener">marked the end</a> of his international basketball career, closing a chapter that spanned more than a decade with the Montenegro national team.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bulls star Nikola Vucevic has announced his retirement from international basketball.</p><p>His national team Montenegro has been eliminated from EuroBasket 2025.</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/BasketNews_com?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BasketNews_com</a>)<a href="https://t.co/o41gV06woU">pic.twitter.com/o41gV06woU</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1963227079136231933?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The 34-year-old big man delivered strong numbers in his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-why-nikola-vucevic-made-eurobasket-request-to-matas-buzelis">final EuroBasket tournament</a>, averaging 20.8 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists across five games. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-nikola-vucevic-calls-out-nonsense-rumors">Vucevic’s standout performance</a> came in a win over Sweden when he recorded 23 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. Still, Montenegro fell short of advancing to the knockout round after an 89-83 loss to Great Britain.</p><p>“It sucks for me to finish this way. It would have been great to get to the next round and play in Riga, but it is what it is,” Vucevic said after the loss. “I want to thank my teammates, the coaches, the federation, and of course, the fans. It was an honor to play for my country, but now it is time for the next generation to leave its mark.”</p><h2><b>Nikola Vucevic had a storied EuroBasket career</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Vucevic-2.jpg"><figcaption>David Banks-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Vucevic first suited up for Montenegro at EuroBasket 2011 and went on to play in four EuroBasket tournaments and two FIBA Basketball World Cups. He appeared in 39 official FIBA games, averaging 13.6 points and 7.8 rebounds. His best team finishes came in EuroBasket 2017 and 2022, when Montenegro placed 13th, and in the 2023 World Cup, when the team finished 11th.</p><p>Despite the early exit this summer, Vucevic expressed pride in his country’s achievements. “For a small nation like ours, every appearance in a big tournament was a huge success. We tried to represent Montenegro in the best way possible, and I am proud of what we accomplished,” he said.</p><p>While his time with the national team has ended, Vucevic is not stepping away from basketball. The two-time NBA All-Star remains under contract with the Bulls, where he is entering the second season of a three-year deal worth $60 million. He will become a free agent following the 2025-26 season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nikola Vucevic makes retirement announcement after EuroBasket elimination

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-why-nikola-vucevic-made-eurobasket-request-to-matas-buzelis');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Nikola Vucevic made EuroBasket request to Matas Buzelis');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Why-Nikola-Vucevic-made-EuroBasket-request-to-Matas-Buzelis.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>Why Nikola Vucevic made EuroBasket request to Matas Buzelis</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-28T13:31:56-07:00">August 28th, 1:31pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-28T13:43:13-07:00">August 28th, 1:43pm</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic has been a fixture in international basketball for more than a decade. Ahead of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/orlando-magic/eurobasket-news-franz-wagners-magic-teammate-helps-upset-spain">EuroBasket 2025</a>, he revealed that he attempted to persuade rookie teammate Matas Buzelis to join Lithuania for the tournament.</p><p>Speaking to Lukas Katilius of BasketNews, Vucevic <a href="https://basketnews.com/news-230182-nba-all-star-reveals-he-tried-to-convince-bulls-rising-star-to-play-in-eurobasket.html" rel="noopener">explained that his request</a> came from a belief that Buzelis would benefit from the unique experience of FIBA competition.</p><p>“I was trying to convince him to play,” Vucevic said. “I thought it would have been really good for him to get some FIBA basketball experience, to play in EuroBasket, and to practice against all the other players from Lithuania every day. It would have been great for him.”</p><p>Vucevic highlighted the differences between international and NBA play as an important developmental step for younger players.</p><p>“The NBA and FIBA are very different games, and I think it is especially good for young players to experience both and learn from them,” he said.</p><h2><b>Nikola Vucevic sees EuroBasket as missed growth opportunity for Bulls’ Matas Buzelis</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Matas-Buzelis.jpg"><figcaption>Matt Marton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>For Vucevic, the chance to compete in a medal hunt would have added significant value for Buzelis in his early career.</p><p>“I think it would have helped him a lot, and it would also have been valuable just to play in big games,” Vucevic said. “Obviously, Lithuania is going to try to compete for a medal — that is their goal — so for him, it would have been huge. But he decided not to play this summer. Hopefully, he will play in the future.”</p><p>“I think he has a very bright future in the NBA and, hopefully, also with the Lithuanian national team. For whatever reason, though, he decided not to play this summer,” Vucevic added.</p><p>The veteran noted that Buzelis, who was born in Chicago, approaches the game with a mentality shaped more by his American background.</p><p>“Yeah, he is probably a little more American,” Vucevic said. “But he was born and grew up there, so that is normal. He is a good guy — a very good guy.”</p><h2><b>Buzelis opts out, Vucevic shines despite Germany overpowering Montenegro</b></h2><p>The 20-year-old forward completed his rookie season with the Bulls averaging 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and one assist per game. He shot 45.4% from the field and 36.1% from three while averaging 18.9 minutes across 80 contests. Despite encouragement from his veteran teammate, Buzelis chose not to participate in EuroBasket this summer. Lithuania still opened with a 94-80 win over Great Britain on Wednesday without his presence.</p><p>While Buzelis sat out, Vucevic carried Montenegro in their Group A opener against Germany. The 34-year-old center produced a strong performance with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in 31 minutes. He shot 10-for-13 from the field and 2-for-3 from deep, finishing with an efficiency rating of 30.</p><p>Despite his individual production, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/orlando-magic/eurobasket-news-how-franz-wagner-dominated-in-germany-30-point-opening-win">Montenegro fell 106-76 to Germany, led by Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner</a> and Sacramento Kings guard Dennis Schroder. The loss highlighted the challenge ahead for Vucevic’s national team as they aim to rebound in group play.</p><p>For Chicago, Vucevic’s guidance reflects his role as a mentor for the franchise’s young core, with Buzelis expected to play an expanded role in his sophomore season. His push for Buzelis to embrace international competition underscores his belief in the forward’s long-term potential.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Nikola Vucevic made EuroBasket request to Matas Buzelis

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-nikola-vucevic-defends-bulls-vp-puzzling-offseason');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nikola Vucevic defends Bulls VP amid puzzling offseason');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Vucevic-shoots.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Ross-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nikola Vucevic defends Bulls VP amid puzzling offseason</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-28T11:08:20-07:00">August 28th, 11:08am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-28T11:08:20-07:00">August 28th, 11:08am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/chicago-bulls-2025-nba-cup-east-group-c-predictions">Chicago Bulls are in</a> one of the more bizarre situations in the NBA landscape today. On the one hand, the Bulls finally have some semblance of a young core in Josh Giddey, Coby White, and Matas Buzelis. On the other, the Bulls have <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/jonathan-kuminga-josh-giddey-intel-entering-september-siegels-scoop">yet to sign Giddey</a> to a new contract this offseason, and it’s unclear if that tandem has enough in the way of defense to truly build around.</p><p>One of the lone vets remaining on Chicago’s roster is big man Nikola Vucevic, who has survived trade rumors for several years now in the Windy City.</p><p>Recently, Vucevic defended Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturo Karsinovas <a href="https://basketnews.com/news-230181-nikola-vucevic-speaks-out-on-relationship-with-bulls-vp-amid-trade-buyout-rumors.html" rel="noopener">against the backlash</a> he’s received from the fanbase.</p><p>“When he first got there, I thought he made some very good moves—signing Lonzo, Caruso, Vucevic, and DeMar. I thought it was a very good team; it just did not work out. After that, sometimes it is hard to figure out what to do next. We had a lot of injuries and other challenges, but overall, I think he has done a good job,” said Vucevic, per Lukas Katilius of BasketNews.</p><p>Indeed, the Bulls were the number one seed in the Eastern Conference relatively deep into the 2021-22 season before things slowly went off the rails, and have since gone downhill from there.</p><h2><b>An interesting Bulls team</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Nikola-Vucevic.jpg"><figcaption>© Nell Redmond-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>As previously mentioned, the Bulls currently seem to be positioning themselves around something of a youth movement moving forward, something Vucevic also spoke on.</p><p>“Now they have decided to go with slightly younger players, and they did a good job in the draft as well. I think it is understandable that fans want results right away, but sometimes you need to be patient. Overall, I think he has done some pretty good things,” he said.</p><p>Overall, the Bulls are in a better position now than they were when DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine were on the team due to the youth on the roster. However, if Giddey is not signed and the team doesn’t commit to a direction, Chicago could end up (further) in NBA purgatory.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nikola Vucevic defends Bulls VP amid puzzling offseason

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-nikola-vucevic-calls-out-nonsense-rumors');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bulls’ Nikola Vucevic calls out ‘nonsense’ rumors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Nikola-Vucevic_af245e.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Bulls’ Nikola Vucevic calls out ‘nonsense’ rumors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-19T09:58:51-07:00">August 19th, 9:58am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-19T09:58:51-07:00">August 19th, 9:58am</time><address><a>Scotty White</a>Scotty White is a graduate of the University of Michigan and has been in the sports journalism industry since 2020. He has covered athletics at the University of Michigan and is now serving as an Associate Editor, Chicago Bulls beat writer, and Michigan football reporter at ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There have been a lot of trade rumors surrounding Chicago Bulls players this offseason, but so far, the team has been relatively quiet. The Bulls were expected to make more noise, but like most years, the moves that people expected haven’t happened. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-rumors-insider-doubles-down-on-marc-steins-nikola-vucevic-trade-take">Nikola Vucevic has been at the center</a> of these offseason rumors, but he is still a Bull. When last season ended, it seemed like a certainty that he would be traded, but now it sounds like he will start the upcoming season in Chicago.</p><p>Nikola Vucevic seems like the perfect trade candidate for the Bulls, but it hasn’t happened. The rumors were loud, and Vucevic heard them. He was always confident that he would return to Chicago, and it was nice to <a href="https://www.hoopshype.com/story/sports/nba/rumors/2025/08/19/nikola-vucevic-on-future-almost-no-doubt-ill-be-in-chicago/85720171007/" rel="noopener">get some reassurance</a>.</p><p>“A week ago (the interview was done August 4), the Bulls GM (Marc Eversley), who had called me after all the rumors, confirmed that nothing was true and that everything we had discussed after the season still stood,” Vucevic said, according to a report from <i>Hoops Hype.</i> “I already knew that, but it’s always nice when your GM calls to tell you.”</p><p>Vucevic has been in the NBA for a long time, so <a href="https://www.hoopshype.com/story/sports/nba/rumors/2025/08/19/how-did-you-handle-the-rumors/85720169007/" rel="noopener">he is used to</a> things like this. He knows that it’s just something that he has to deal with.</p><p>“There are always rumors,” he said. “Most of them are false. It’s a bit of nonsense. For example, the buyout story was misunderstood in Europe: the journalist wrote that if there was no trade during the season, there might be a buyout option before the deadline. I know how the business works: in the last year of a contract, there’s always speculation. Since I can’t control it, I try not to stress over it.”</p><p>The season is coming up in just a couple of months, and Vucevic fully expects that he will be with the Bulls when it begins.</p><p>“Yes, I have almost no doubt,” Vucevic said. “That’s the mindset I’m preparing with. After that, we’ll see—I don’t know what will happen.”</p><p>Nikola Vucevic might start the season with the Bulls, but like he said, who knows what will go down after that. At the end of the day, he is still a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/way-too-early-new-york-bulls-trade-candidates-2025-26-season">good trade candidate for Chicago</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bulls’ Nikola Vucevic calls out ‘nonsense’ rumors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-rumors-insider-doubles-down-on-marc-steins-nikola-vucevic-trade-take');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bulls rumors: Insider doubles down on Marc Stein’s Nikola Vucevic trade take');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Nikola-Vucevic-9-dribbles-defended-by-Detroit-Pistons-forward-Tobias-Harris-12.jpg"><figcaption>© Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Bulls rumors: Insider doubles down on Marc Stein’s Nikola Vucevic trade take</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-31T08:05:33-07:00">July 31st, 8:05am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-31T08:05:33-07:00">July 31st, 8:05am</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Chicago Bulls insider K.C. Johnson has doubled down on Marc Stein’s recent report that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-rumors-marc-stein-isnt-buying-nikola-vucevic-trade-market">team has no intention of buying out veteran center Nikola Vucevic</a>, who is entering the final year of his contract.</p><p>Speaking on the latest episode of The Fastbreak podcast, Johnson <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrNWhMks4xQ" rel="noopener">dismissed growing speculation</a> that the Bulls were preparing to part ways with the 34-year-old big man through a buyout.</p><p>“There was speculation that the Bulls might be buying him out, and then that got twisted and aggregated into reports that the Bulls were imminently buying him out. That is not happening. I can tell you unequivocally — that is not happening,” Johnson said. “Not only is Nikola Vucevic coming off his best season as a Bull, but the Bulls would also love to eventually turn his contract into some assets.”</p><p>Vucevic wrapped up his 14th NBA season and fifth with the Bulls in 2024-25. He averaged 18.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while shooting 53% from the field and 40.2% from three across 73 appearances, playing 31.2 minutes per game. He enters the 2025-26 season on an expiring $21.4 million deal.</p><h2><b>Bulls eye trade value for Nikola Vucevic after failed Warriors talks</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Warriors-move-away-from-Vucevic.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Johnson added that Chicago had explored trade options for Vucevic ahead of the 2025 trade deadline, with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-bulls-showed-jonathan-kuminga-interest-in-prior-star-trade-talks">most serious discussions reportedly held with the Golden State Warriors</a>. No agreement was reached, and interest from Golden State has since cooled.</p><p>“I do believe he will have trade value as we get closer to the February 2026 trade deadline,” Johnson said. “It’s already well documented that the Bulls shopped him at the February 2025 trade deadline. They couldn’t find common ground with any team. I was told the most substantive talks were with the Warriors regarding Vucevic, but that interest has cooled — at least as of this taping. So stay tuned on Vu, but he will be back with the Bulls for training camp.”</p><p>Marc Stein, writing in his Stein Line newsletter earlier this week, pushed back against suggestions that Vucevic has no trade market.</p><p>“I can say that I’m not buying the notion that there is no market for Vooch (Nikola Vucevic),” Stein wrote, as quoted by CHGO Bulls. “The importance of a big man in today’s NBA is only rising after all the talk that the NBA was going away from traditional big men and with the seasoned Vooch just had and now entering the last year of his deal, maybe not today, but once the season unfolds, between now and the deadline in February – I mean if I were the Bulls, I would be waiting to see what kind of market forms.”</p><p>Vucevic is expected to report to training camp with the Bulls as the franchise continues to weigh its long-term roster plans.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bulls rumors: Insider doubles down on Marc Stein’s Nikola Vucevic trade take

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-rumors-marc-stein-isnt-buying-nikola-vucevic-trade-market');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bulls rumors: What Marc Stein ‘isn’t buying’ on Nikola Vucevic trade market');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Nikola-Vucevic-shoots-Warriors-Bulls.jpg"><figcaption>Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Bulls rumors: What Marc Stein ‘isn’t buying’ on Nikola Vucevic trade market</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-28T14:19:26-07:00">July 28th, 2:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-28T14:19:26-07:00">July 28th, 2:19pm</time><address><a>Scotty White</a>Scotty White is a graduate of the University of Michigan and has been in the sports journalism industry since 2020. He has covered athletics at the University of Michigan and is now serving as an Associate Editor, Chicago Bulls beat writer, and Michigan football reporter at ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Coming into this offseason, we knew that the Chicago Bulls were going to make some trades. They didn’t have any other other choice. The team has been stuck at a standstill for multiple years now, and something needs to happen. Many top players in Chicago have been at the center of trade rumors, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-nikola-vucevic-hit-savage-lottery-clapback-evan-fournier">Nikola Vucevic is one of the more popular names floating around</a>. It seemed like almost a guarantee that he would be traded this offseason, but there apparently hasn’t been a lot of interest.</p><p>Nikola Vucevic is a productive big with solid athleticism and good shooting, but he is getting older. That’s why he is a perfect option for the Bulls to get rid of, but it’s also why it’s difficult to find a team that wants him. However, Marc Stein <a href="https://x.com/CHGO_Bulls/status/1949887257428558251" rel="noopener">expects some interest</a> to show up, but it might not happen until the season.</p><p>“I can say that I’m not buying the notion that there is no market for Vooch (Nikola Vucevic),” Marc Stein said, according to a post from CHGO Bulls. “The importance of a big man in today’s NBA is only rising after all the talk that the NBA was going away from traditional big men and with the seasoned Vooch just had and now entering the last year of his deal, maybe not today, but once the season unfolds, between now and the deadline in February – I mean if I were the bulls, I would be waiting to see what kind of market forms.”</p><p>Vucevic had a very promising season last year, and he showed that he can still be a very valuable weapon in the NBA. He averaged 18.5 points per game, and the biggest difference from the year prior was his three-point shooting. Vucevic has always been a good shooter, but he struggled during the 2023-24 season, shooting below 30% from deep. Last season, Vucevic shot over 40% from downtown.</p><p>Last season was a big one for Nikola Vucevic, and he showed that he still has a lot left in the tank. It seemed like this offseason would be the perfect <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-rumors-slapped-harsh-nikola-vucevic-trade-reality">opportunity for the Bulls to trade him</a>, but it hasn’t panned out yet. However, if Vucevic continues to play at a high level into next season, he could be a good option for teams that are looking to make a playoff push and need a veteran presence. Vucevic still has a few good years left in him before he needs to think about retirement, and while he isn’t a great fit for the Bulls right now, there are still some teams out there that could use a player like him.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bulls rumors: What Marc Stein ‘isn’t buying’ on Nikola Vucevic trade market

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-nikola-vucevic-hit-savage-lottery-clapback-evan-fournier');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bulls’ Nikola Vucevic hit with savage ‘lottery’ clapback by Evan Fournier');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Bulls-center-Nikola-Vucevic-9-receives-a-pass-against-the-76ers.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Ross-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Bulls’ Nikola Vucevic hit with savage ‘lottery’ clapback by Evan Fournier</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-28T08:47:25-07:00">July 28th, 8:47am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-28T08:51:39-07:00">July 28th, 8:51am</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Evan Fournier last played in the NBA during the 2023-24 NBA season, but even though he is no longer in the league, he is very much involved in basketball as a player. He even just recently <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-news-evan-fournier-lands-3-year-contract-with-olympiacos">agreed to a three-year extension with Greek champions Olympiacos</a> Piraeus, a move that has drawn <a href="https://x.com/NikolaVucevic/status/1949196736951357541" rel="noopener">quite a strong reaction</a> from Chicago Bulls star big man Nikola Vucevic.</p><p>“Feel sorry for Olympiakos fans having to watch this douchebag for 3 more seasons,” Vucevic wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that features Fournier’s announcement of his “new chapter” with Olympiacos.</p><p>Vucevic’s tweet has since gone viral, with many mistakenly thinking that the two has real beef. In reality, it’s just Vucevic taking a friendly jab at his former Orlando Magic teammate. The two played together for several seasons for Orlando, so they knew each other well enough, to the point that they’re publicly trying to annoy one another.</p><p>And Fournier may have won the back-and-forth, as he dropped a mic with a shot aimed at <a href="https://x.com/EvanFourmizz/status/1949571609033081085" rel="noopener">where it probably hurt the most</a>, especially for Bulls fans.</p><p>“Its ok bro I know you’re tired of playing for the lottery,” responded Fournier, who made fun of the Bulls’ continuing mediocrity.</p><p>The Bulls have not been to the NBA Playoffs in three straight seasons and only twice over the last decade. In both occasions, they were struck out in the first round.</p><p>Chicago fans surely didn’t have to be reminded about the franchise’s shortcomings, but it’s the same reason why the Bulls are also such an easy target among other teams’ fans, and, in this case, by Fournier, who felt he needed to come up with something to hit back at Vucevic.</p><p>But Fournier is also just as familiar as Vucevic when it comes to a lack of playoff success in the NBA. Vucevic has only played in 16 postseason games in the league, while Fournier has seen action in 19.</p><p>Fournier might still have a future in the NBA, but he’s also already 32 years old, making it harder to see him being back in the league if he plays out the rest of his contract with Olympiacos. The 34-year-old Vucevic, on the other hand, still has a year left on his current contract with the Bulls, and he will look to help Chicago make the playoffs im the coming season — <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-rumors-slapped-harsh-nikola-vucevic-trade-reality">if he doesn’t get traded</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bulls’ Nikola Vucevic hit with savage ‘lottery’ clapback by Evan Fournier

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-rumors-slapped-harsh-nikola-vucevic-trade-reality');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bulls rumors: Bulls slapped with harsh Nikola Vucevic trade reality');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Bulls-center-Nikola-Vucevic-i.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Ross-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Bulls rumors: Bulls slapped with harsh Nikola Vucevic trade reality</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-25T08:29:17-07:00">July 25th, 8:29am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-25T08:29:17-07:00">July 25th, 8:29am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Amid the Chicago Bulls’ full-blown rebuild, trading Nikola Vucevic could be a tall task between now and next season’s trade deadline. After the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-trade-grade-for-zach-lavine-blockbuster">Bulls traded Zach LaVine in a blockbuster deal</a> with the Sacramento Kings, they subsequently traded veteran Lonzo Ball to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Isaac Okoro. However, trading Vucevic and his $20 million salary isn’t ideal, considering teams are generally trading larger contracts this deep into the offseason.</p><p>Vucevic is also 35, which makes <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4N4zIWC9OQ" rel="noopener">finding a suitor</a> all the more difficult, as Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer noted.</p><p>“There hasn’t been much of a market for Nikola Vucevic all along, dating back to last trade deadline,” Fischer said. “I think at this juncture, we’re probably more likely to see a Nikola Vucevic buyout midseason than we are to see a trade.”</p><p>As the NBA teams transition from the Big 3 era to a modern approach of building a title-contending team, the Bulls have followed suit by trading for a younger big in Okoro and letting DeMar DeRozan walk as a free agent. Chicago also landed 26 and 27-year-old Kevin Huerter and Zach Collins, respectively, in exchange for LaVine and a first-round pick.</p><p>The Bulls have received multiple trade offers over the years for Nikola Vucevic. Now that the NBA has transitioned from teams attempting to compile the next superteam to prioritizing youth, depth, and players on team-friendly contracts, Chicago and Vucevic could be heading toward a buyout by midseason.</p><h2><b>Bulls coach points to Thunder, Pacers as desired play style</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Bulls-center-Nikola-Vucevic-ii.jpg"><figcaption>David Banks-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-coach-points-thunder-pacers-model-desired-play-style">Bulls point to the champion Thunder as a model</a> for a desired play style, and the same could be said about the front office’s approach to roster building. The Thunder drafted two of their three core players that led their team to a title after trading for a second-year prospect, at the time, in the league’s MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.</p><p>One Bulls coach wants to adapt the team’s play style to the free-flowing approach of the Thunder and Pacers, where positionless basketball emphasizes players who can do a variety of things, including shooting, running the floor, and defending at a high level. It’s <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/news/_/id/2912/eastern-conference-summer-league-notes" rel="noopener">the model</a> the Bulls will look to adapt, per Spotrac.</p><p>“Last year, we played pretty fast. I think we can play even faster next season,” one Bulls coach said. “Our roster is built for it. And you saw with Indiana and OKC in the Finals, that playing with pace is so important. We’re going to get after it on defense, force turnovers, and then get out and run. That suits Matas [Buzelis] and Noa [Essengue].”</p><p>The Bulls coach also sees untapped potential in Okoro.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bulls rumors: Bulls slapped with harsh Nikola Vucevic trade reality

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/chicago-bulls/what-a-nikola-vucevic-trade-detroit-pistons-would-look-like-chicago-bulls');   ga('set', 'title', 'What a Nikola Vucevic trade to the Detroit Pistons would look like for the Chicago Bulls');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/What-a-Nikola-Vucevic-trade-to-the-Detroit-Pistons-would-look-like-for-the-Chicago-Bulls.jpg"></figure><h1>What a Nikola Vucevic trade to the Detroit Pistons would look like for the Chicago Bulls</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-07T15:52:25-07:00">July 7th, 3:52pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-08T14:51:30-07:00">July 8th, 2:51pm</time><address><a>Scotty White</a>Scotty White is a graduate of the University of Michigan and has been in the sports journalism industry since 2020. He has covered athletics at the University of Michigan and is now serving as an Associate Editor, Chicago Bulls beat writer, and Michigan football reporter at ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-chicago-posts-lonzo-ball-tribute-video-cavs-trade">Chicago Bulls made a pretty big trade recently</a> as they sent Lonzo Ball to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Isaac Okoro. Ball was a key member of the Bulls’ core before his rare knee injury, and while he was able to return to the court this past season, he wasn’t the same player.</p><p>Still, Ball is a solid role player, and the fan base has been wanting trades to go down. The only issue is that they were not happy with what the Bulls got in return. So if the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/ranking-top-3-nikola-vucevic-trade-destinations">Bulls decide to trade Nikola Vucevic</a>, they need to make sure to get a better deal.</p><p>Bulls fans were unhappy with the Lonzo Ball trade because of what the team turned down earlier in the year. There were credible reports that the Bulls turned down an Isaac Okoro-like player AND a first-round pick before the 2025 NBA trade deadline. So when the Bulls traded Ball for just Okoro, the fan base was pretty upset.</p><p>In the last two offseasons, the Bulls have traded Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso and Lonzo Ball, and they have acquired zero first-round draft picks in those trades. Fans in Chicago are 100% on board with trading these players despite their talent, but the team needs to make the right decisions and get what they are worth.</p><p>With what the Bulls are trying to build and what their plan is for the future, making those trades with no first-round picks involved doesn’t make a lot of sense.</p><p>The Bulls are expected to make more trades this offseason, and the player that is most likely to be traded is Nikola Vucevic. Vucevic is a good player, but he is getting older, and he doesn’t fit into what this Bulls team is trying to build.</p><p>He is expected to be traded at some point this offseason, and the Bulls need to make sure that they don’t make the same mistakes that they have made in the past. That doesn’t mean that they need to get a first-round pick if they trade him, but if they don’t, it needs to be worth it.</p><p>One team that has been mentioned as a <a href="https://x.com/JWeinbachNBA/status/1942020895033196555" rel="noopener">potential landing spot</a> for Nikola Vucevic is the Detroit Pistons. Vucevic could end up being a good veteran presence on a young Pistons team, but what do the Bulls need to get to make it worth it?</p><h2><b>What the Bulls need for Nikola Vucevic</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Nikola-Vucevic.jpg"><figcaption>Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>If the Bulls do decide to trade Nikola Vucevic to the Pistons, there is a scenario where the trade would make sense for Chicago without landing a first-round pick. That would be if Detroit wants to send Isaiah Stewart to Chicago.</p><p>Stewart played a big role on last year’s Pistons team, and there is a good chance that Detroit wins its series against the New York Knicks if he doesn’t get injured in Game 1.</p><p>Isaiah Stewart certainly fits the mold for the Bulls more than Vucevic does now because of his age. Stewart should be a really good player in the NBA for 10+ years, and those are the kinds of players that the Bulls need. At the same time, Vucevic could be a great short-term option for the Pistons as they look to add experience to help them get over the hump in the playoffs.</p><p>Outside of this straight exchange move, there isn’t a lot that makes sense for the Bulls to get from the Pistons in exchange for Nikola Vucevic, unless a first-round pick is included, of course. A straight exchange for Stewart would work, but it would be nice for the Bulls to finally secure some picks after trading their star players away.</p><p>A Nikola Vucevic trade is likely coming, and it will be a big one for the Bulls. They need to get a good return.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

What a Nikola Vucevic trade to the Detroit Pistons would look like for the Chicago Bulls

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/golden-state-warriors/nba-rumors-warriors-move-away-nikola-vucevic-trade-interest');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Warriors ‘move away’ from Nikola Vucevic trade interest');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Warriors-move-away-from-Vucevic.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Warriors ‘move away’ from Nikola Vucevic trade interest</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-02T07:17:22-07:00">July 2nd, 7:17am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-02T07:17:22-07:00">July 2nd, 7:17am</time><address><a>Rishav Bhat</a>Rishav is a seasoned NBA and sports journalist and editor with over seven years of experience working for reputed organizations. A novelist first and foremost, he has written three fiction books. His high threshold of knowledge combined with his writing skills gives him the ability to write uniquely insightful pieces across basketball, soccer, cricket, lawn tennis, eSports, and a variety of other sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Golden State Warriors find themselves unreasonably short on the center position after long-term backup <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-news-new-orleans-signs-3-time-nba-champion-warriors-free-agency">Kevon Looney joined the New Orleans Pelicans</a>. Steve Kerr has generally opted for Draymond Green as the starting center in what has come to be known as a small-ball lineup.</p><p>However, the Warriors had previously registered interest in the Chicago Bulls star Nikola Vucevic, who is set to enter the final year of his three-year deal. However, as things stand,<a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-hottest-and-freshest-nba-free?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=167325800&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener"> they appear to have moved away from a potential trade</a>, according to NBA Insider Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.</p><p>Vucevic averaged 18.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game last season, and is an elite rebounder capable of stretching the floor. While the Warriors’ roster looks in dire need of a similar profile, they continue to be <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-rumors-al-horford-emerges-as-dubs-preferred-target-in-free-agency">the frontrunners for Al Horford’s signature</a>. Horford started 42 games for the Boston Celtics last season, averaging nine points and 6.2 rebounds per game.</p><p>The decision to move away from Vucevic appears to be a result of internal skepticism surrounding his fit in the current timeline. The 34-year-old star is owed $21.4 million next season before entering unrestricted free agency, which could have complicated matters down the line.</p><p>Furthermore, the Bulls were understood to have a steep asking price and wanted a first-round pick alongside a second-rounder. The price may also have proved to be a sticking point despite the Warriors currently under the first apron. </p><p>Horford, although 38 years old, brings a wealth of playoff experience and positional intelligence that may prove to be ideal for a team led by Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Horford being available as a free agent and the kind of price associated with Vucevic appears to have contributed to the decision.</p><p>The Warriors are looking to add depth at center but do not want to engage in a high-asset trade. That means Horford is a much more realistic option for a team that is expected to make further improvements during the ongoing NBA free agency.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
20.0	13.0	4.3	0.3	1.0

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
20.0	13.0	4.3	0.3	1.0

Nikola Vučević news

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