Some are still sweating out for the Championship, some are off to the hills and beaches to rest, whereas the others are out to hunt. Context? As some teams battle out for the championship in the postseason, other teams have already shifted their focus to the next season. For the teams that did not make the cut, the offseason is officially here. After seven months of grind, their attention will shift to the NBA Draft, free agency, and trade for all but 16 teams. Nonetheless, more teams will soon join the 14 rosters that are watching from the comfort of their homes. The Chicago Bulls are one of the 14 teams that have a jump start for the 2025-26 season. Their mediocre season came to an end in the play-in tournament as Miami’s Heat roasted Nikola Vucevic’s Windy City.

Chicago’s main focus will be on 12th May, when the NBA Draft Lottery will be held. However, before we go there, the Bulls are already on the hunt for some trades. Chicago is expected to move their veteran center, Nikola Vucevic, over the summer. The 34-year-old Bulls big man is heading into the final year of his three-year extension he inked back in 2023. Of the $60 million, he is reportedly earning $21.4 million in his final season. The trade has been a long time coming, some might even argue that he could’ve been shipped before the February 7th deadline. But it is not that the Bulls didn’t try. The Chicago-based team did try to offload Vucevic mid-season, with the Golden State Warriors emerging as the landing destination for him, but luck had other plans.

However, the trade did not go through after the two teams couldn’t finalize a deal. Now, with the Bulls hitting the offseason early and just one year left on Nikola Vucevic’s deal, the move might just be much easier. The Bulls are amid a rebuild and doing what every rebuilding team does: acquiring draft picks. It started with the Bulls acquiring Josh Giddey, a move that raised a lot of eyebrows but has worked out well for Chicago. Then they passed on an option to re-sign DeMar DeRozan to acquire Chris Duarte and two second-round picks. The roster revamp was resumed in February with Chicago shipping superstar Zach LaVine to Sac-Town in a three-team deal to acquire a handful of assets.

Now, Nikola Vucevic is one final piece the Bulls need to ship to start a rebuild that seems inevitable. Vucevic’s strong campaign makes the trade much more appealing for a number of teams. The 34-year-old center had a strong campaign, averaging 18.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. This is the Bulls’ big man’s seventh straight season averaging a double-double. Not to forget his incredible three-point shooting ability. Vucevic shot 40.2 percent from deep last season, which was a career-high for the veteran. Overall, he’s coming off a solid campaign. So, will the Warriors make a move for Nikola Vucevic once again?

Will Golden State make a move as Nikola Vucevic becomes available in the offseason?

The Golden State Warriors are still the top destination for Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic. The Bay Area team was among the most interested teams to land the 34-year-old leading up to this season’s February 6th deadline. However, they were not keen on matching Chicago’s asking price, as per a few sources. Nonetheless, both teams will have a lot of time during the offseason to get on the same page this time around. Many people believe that Steve Kerr and Co. wanted Vucevic because they are in dire need of a stretch five who could help the team’s rotation against bigger teams.

We all know that the Golden State is amongst the smallest teams in terms of size and lacks height. This has its pros and cons; a smaller team is much faster on the break. Meanwhile, a bigger team can lock on defense. So, the Warriors might’ve been looking for some balance in their roster by adding Nikola Vucevic. While a deal did not go through this season, the Warriors have not signed any other big players as well. So, this might indicate that they might move for Vucevic once again. Moreover, Vucevic has also spoken about his will to compete for a win-now team.

“Obviously, I’m at a stage in my career where I’m trying to win now. And play in the playoffs, and deep playoff runs, and things like that. So, we’ll see. But I believe there are pieces here that we can build upon. With this young team, it does take time, but it all depends on what their timeline is and how they see this team.” Vucevic stated in a recent interview, allegedly indicating a move away from the Windy City.

The Warriors certainly check the win-now box Vucevic is looking for, but right now their focus is on the playoffs. So, wait and watch how this trade rumor develops as we monitor the situation closely.