After news of the surprising Lonzo Ball and Isaac Okoro trade, the San Antonio Spurs should have the Chicago Bulls in their crosshairs. The Bulls, despite having a better-than-expected 2024-25 season, have made some questionable trades.
They gave up Alex Caruso in a straight swap for Josh Giddey, only to watch Caruso have several big games in the NBA Finals. To their credit, Giddey had a strong second half of last season, but they should have gotten more for him.
They also traded stars DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine for what amounted to bad contracts and second-round picks. Now, with the Ball trade, it should be open season for teams looking to take advantage.
cant lie to yall this is nasty ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ pic.twitter.com/Xu72Pyg6RD
— Automatic (@automaticnba) June 28, 2025
The Spurs should be one of those teams, with them in serious need of a backup center and having a possible logjam on the wing.
The Spurs must trade for Nikola Vucevic
One of the last remaining Bulls veterans of value is Nikola Vucevic. He had a strong season last year but wasn't ultimately traded, giving the Spurs the chance to do so.
Although the Bulls were apparently seeking a first-round pick for Vucevic at the trade deadline, they didn't get one, and they probably won't. Especially with him entering the final year of his contract and him being 33 years old.
A potential trade involving Vucevic would likely include Keldon Johnson, since their salaries are similar. He also fits their recent m.o. of targeting young players in their early to mid-twenties and has had varying levels of success thus far.
Trading with the Chicago Bulls is a totally illogical exercise. So many teams could have made a better offer for Lonzo Ball than Isaac Okoro. You just have to hope that you have a young-ish player they irrationally like.
— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) June 28, 2025
Johnson averaged 22 points per game in the 2022-23 season, but his wildly inconsistent jump shot has slowed his development.
The Spurs could contend with a few minor tweaks
The Spurs would streamline their roster by moving on from Johnson and adding a backup center who can step in and start in games that Victor Wembanyama misses. That's crucial given how comically bad the Spurs were without Wembanyama at center last season.
A potential lineup of De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, and Wembanyama with Dylan Harper, Julian Champagnie, Jeremy Sochan, and Vucevic would be a stacked nine-man rotation.
They also have depth beyond that with lottery pick Carter Bryant on the wing and former first-round pick Blake Wesley as a fourth guard who can hassle opposing guards. That's not to mention them still having access to the full mid-level exception and bi-annual exceptions to further build out their roster.
Ultimately, with the Bulls making questionable trades, the Spurs should be eyeing a potential trade for Vucevic. If they could land him, he'd help solve their shooting issues and lack of a backup center while making their roster make a lot more sense.