Chicago Bulls: 4 biggest winners from the Nikola Vucevic trade

The Chicago Bulls made one of the biggest splashes at the NBA trade deadline when they acquired Nikola Vucevic from the Orlando Magic. Along with Vucevic came Al-Farouq Aminu, and they sent Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr. and two first-round picks back to Orlando in exchange.

Now that the Bulls have a big talent upgrade, they have a new lease on life in the Eastern Conference. They have a poor 19-24 record and sit 10th in the East, but thanks to the mediocre status of the conference they’re only 3.0 games behind the fourth-place Charlotte Hornets.

Biggest winners for the Chicago Bulls following the Nikola Vucevic trade

This trade changes things for the Bulls. They’ve indicated to their star, Zach LaVine, that they have every intention of building a winning team around him rather than trading him or wallowing in mediocrity. It’s also a signature trade for the team’s new executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas.

The Bulls may not be able to get all the way up to the four seed in the East, but now they’ve got a chance. They’re almost certain to work their way up and out of the play-in picture, at least, and that’s progress for a once-proud franchise that has been stuck in the bottom of the middle for far too long.

Let’s take a look at the four biggest winners for the Chicago Bulls as a result of this blockbuster NBA trade deadline deal.