Chicago Bulls: Three 2021 trade deadline winners and losers
By Zane Harris
Nikola Vucevic is the first big winner of the deadline after finding a new home with the Chicago Bulls.
The acquisition of Nikola Vucevic is an enormous win for him and the Bulls.
Vucevic gets a change of scenery that he desperately needs. While he will not be playing for a championship this season with the Bulls, he will have a much better supporting cast than he did with the Orlando Magic.
He was the only player to participate in an All-Star game with the Magic since Dwight Howard in 2011.
With Zach LaVine as a teammate, he will already have more All-Star teammates than he ever did on the Magic.
The Bulls benefit from this trade by bettering their frontcourt and acquiring one of the best centers in the NBA.
Along with this, it gives LaVine a reason to stay with the Bulls for the long term. Earlier in the season, it was rumored that he would be traded to a contending team so the Bulls could get something back for him, rather than having him walk in free agency.
With the acquisition of players like Vucevic that make it possible to make some noise in the East, it gives LaVine more than enough reason to stay.
It also puts Chicago back on the map of being a possible destination to land a big free agent under the right circumstances.