When the Chicago Bulls traded Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter, and two first-round picks for Nikola Vucevic (fine, and Al-Farouq Aminu) at the trade deadline, they didn’t just add a two-time All-Star center. They also added a recruiter.
According to DeMar DeRozan on the most recent episode of No Chill with Gilbert Arenas, Vucevic has been knocking on DeRozan’s door for years.
It really came from Vucevic. That was my man. For years, even when he was in Orlando, we’ve been trying to figure out, ‘we need to play together, we need to play together.’ A lot of time, it would be like BS. But when the opportunity presented itself after he got traded to Chicago, we had a conversation during the season late in the season like, ‘look, you’re a free agent, let’s see what we can do.’ And I was like, ‘I’m going to keep that on my radar.’ As things transpired, it just started making more and more sense.
Vucevic and DeRozan have a friendship that dates back to 2008. The two were both a part of a USC basketball team that earned a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans pulled off a first-round upset over Boston College before suffering a tight 74-69 loss to Draymond Green and the title-game-bound Michigan State Spartans. Vucevic may have only averaged 2.6 points in 11.0 minutes per game that year – whereas DeRozan started every game – but the two clearly built a tight bond that lasts until this day.
When we mix Vucevic’s and DeRozan’s long-time chatter with Marc Eversley’s prior relationship with DeRozan in Toronto, it becomes that much easier to see why DeRozan saw a future home in Chicago. Sure, a generously sized contract has to be added into the equation, but the point remains that relationships also go a long way in landing big-name talent. It’s part of the reason why a former Nike executive like Eversley was hired by Arturas Karnisovas, and it’s an added benefit to swinging for an All-Star talent like Nikola Vucevic.
Contract or trade logistics aside, this is what a front office hopes All-Star-level talent can bring off the court. The seats upstairs can change all they want, but game respects game and players talk to players. For the Bulls to truly change their perception around the league, it starts with the players, whether that be on or off the court.
You can watch DeRozan’s complete interview about this upcoming season below: