NEWSLETTER
One day after Nikola Vucevic agreed to an extension with the Chicago Bulls, we have the contract details.
Vucevic’s three-year, $60 million is fully guaranteed, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac. The big man will receive an 8 percent raise each season, meaning his year-by-year salary will be as followed:
2023-24: $18.5 million
2024-25: $20.0 million
2025-26: $21.5 million
After the initial report surfaced of Nikola Vucevic’s three-year contract, all focus turned to that final year. The big question was whether or not it would come in as partially-guaranteed or as a team option, thus giving the organization even more future flexibility. Instead, we now know the 35-year-old center will be owed the entirety of his $21.5 million.
Let me first say this: I still think that a $20 million AAV is a totally acceptable number for Vucevic. To avoid rambling again, I’ll link you to our morning bullets post here where I shared more of my thoughts. Not only do I think the contract should be considered a relatively tradeable deal in today’s NBA, but I also think it puts him in an appropriate tier when we consider how much certain players are making across the league.
With that said, I’m not going to deny that the deal looks worse now. When it comes to future trade-ability (which, no, isn’t a word), having the team control that third year could have made a significant difference. Not to mention, in the likely event that the Bulls hold onto him, having the ability to let him go in two years as opposed to three simply provides the organization with more flexibility.
If the front office has shown us anything in the past two years, however, it’s that they are really good at putting themselves in uncomfortable positions. Indeed, money aside, that is where the real problem with this contract rests. The Bulls’ front office had an opportunity here to show they could win a move on the margins and set themselves up for more control in the future. And they kinda failed.
I understand part of their mentality may be to show players that they “take care of their guys.” But I’m just not sure they’re in a position to make that a priority. They’re still an unproven free-agent destination. Also, winning trumps everything. As long as the team wins basketball games, they’ll start to draw interest from the kind of free agents they covet.
They just can’t keep coming out on the wrong end of these negotiations. Again, this isn’t about the total monetary commitment made to Vucevic, but rather proving they can hold their own at the bargaining table. We’ve seen things on a micro-level with things like Derrick Jones Jr. getting a player option, Andre Drummond getting a player option, and Marko Simonovic getting a three-year deal. The Tristan Thompson situation was another concerning one, as the Bulls used part of the bi-annual exception to sign him off the buyout market instead of just a minimum contract. Their decision to do this meant they couldn’t have access to the bi-annual exception in 2022-23.
We’ve also seen this on a macro-level with, well, the Nikola Vucevic trade, the Zach LaVine full max extension, and including multiple picks in the DeMar DeRozan/Lonzo Ball sign-and-trades. No one is saying they need to come out on top of every single deal – that just isn’t going to happen. But it would be encouraging to see them pick up a couple of small victories. With this Vucevic one, in particular, it’s hard not to wonder if they played enough hardball. The market is rather barren when it comes to potential suitors.
Oh well. It’s time to move on, I guess. I’ve already made clear that I essentially agree that re-signing Nikola Vucevic instead of losing him for nothing was the right decision. Now, we must look toward free agency and merely hope the Bulls do … well … something not bad.
