Nikola

Vucevic

With DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine gone from the Windy City, the final piece of Chicago’s “big three” could finally be on the move. The Bulls will surely have no shortage of suitors for Vucevic, a player who can consistently get 20/10 with a handful of assists and a three-pointer or two. Keep an eye on the Lakers as a potential trade partner, as they desperately need help in the frontcourt.

Vucevic’s 2024-25 season ended on Wednesday, with the Bulls center recording his 46th double-double. One of the most surprising players in fantasy basketball, Vooch was a top-20 player in nine-cat formats while sitting just outside the top-30 in eight-cat. Vucevic has been a relatively safe option for most of his time in Chicago, hovering around the top-50. As good as this season was for him fantasy-wise, managers should not go into drafts expecting Vucevic to offer value in 2025-26 on par with this season.

For the second-straight game, Vucevic fell exactly two assists shy of recording a triple-double. Chicago has now won their last five games with Vucevic available, and he has recorded a double-double in each of them. His recent production is more in line with the numbers he was putting up early in the season, which is a good sign for the Bulls as they enter the postseason. They are locked in as the ninth seed in the East and will host Miami in the first game of the Play-In Tournament. Vucevic will likely sit against the 76ers on Sunday in the season finale.

Vucevic returned from a one-game absence with a calf injury and played 35 minutes against the Heat Wednesday. The 34-year-old center had a huge game with 20 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, leaving him two assists shy of a triple-double. He’s certainly a candidate for rest in the last week of the regular season and if that’s the case, this was a nice capper on an excellent fantasy season for Vooch.

Vucevic missed Tuesday’s game against the Cavaliers along with the rest of the Bulls’ starting five. Zach Collins will head back to the bench with the 34-year-old returning. The Bulls should at least be more competitive Wednesday against the Heat with most of their regular players back.

Chicago is basically waiving the white flag for this game. All five starters from their last game have been ruled out. Zach Collins and Jalen Smith should split the minutes at center, with Talen Horton-Tucker and Dalen Terry taking on big minutes on the perimeter. This will be a very different rotation for Chicago.

With Coby White and Kevin Huerter already out, Chicago could be without four starters for Tuesday’s game. Vucevic’s potential absence would impact Zach Collins and Jalen Smith, as both would see their minutes increase. Giddey missing the game would likely lead to more playing time for Talen Horton-Tucker, who would be worth streaming in deep leagues.

Before Friday, Vucevic had gone nearly two months since he last scored at least 30 points in a game. He ended that “dry spell” in a big way against the Trail Blazers, making some history in the process. The double-double was Vucevic’s 200th as a Bull, moving into a tie with Scottie Pippen for second on the franchise’s all-time list. Over the past two weeks, Vooch has provided top-20 value in nine-cat formats, which aligns with his season-long production. He’ll look to finish Week 22 on a high note when the Bulls visit Charlotte on Sunday.

24 hours after being held to 11 points, Vucevic got back on track with a 20-point double-double. Entering Tuesday’s game, Vucevic had gone four straight games without a double-double and had scored less than 15 points in four of his previous five games. Early in the season, this would have been a typical game for Vucevic. However, he has really struggled over the past two months, so this was an encouraging performance for him with the postseason approaching. He’ll look to keep it going against Portland on Friday.

Vucevic played only 21 minutes in a game the Bulls lost by 28 points. The 34-year-old center was struggling anyway, including a 1-of-5 performance from behind the three-point line. Vucevic is still a top-50 fantasy player on the season, and despite this performance he’s returning second-round value over the last two weeks in nine-category formats.