Bulls Named as Potential Landing Spot for Former No. 7 Pick

The Chicago Bulls have been named as a potential suitor for Golden State Warriors‘ former lottery pick Jonathan Kuminga.

Hoopshype’s Michael Scotto reported on June 16 that the Bulls are one of the two teams that could potentially acquire Kuminga via sign-and-trade this offseason.

“The Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat are two teams to monitor as potential sign-and-trade candidates for Kuminga, league sources told HoopsHype. With that in mind, the Warriors have also not ruled out the possibility of retaining Kuminga, sources said,” Scotto wrote.

The Bulls are no strangers to taking a flier on an underutilized young player. Last year, they did exactly like that when they flipped Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey, who enjoyed a career season in Chicago.

Giddey, taken sixth overall, one selection ahead of Kuminga in the 2021 NBA draft, averaged a career-best 8.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.2 steals while scoring 14.6 points per game as the Bulls’ lead guard. His 37.8% clip from the 3-point line was also a career-high.

The 22-year-old guard is set to sign a lucrative contract extension this offseason, which eluded Kuminga in Golden State.

Kuminga never earned the full trust of Steve Kerr in a veteran-laden team that is built to win now. If he lands in Chicago, Kuminga will have the starting small forward spot and the playing minutes he desperately craved in Golden State.

But Kuminga showed what he can do when given the opportunity during the last four games of their second-round loss in the playoffs. The 22-year-old forward averaged 24.3 points on 55.4% overall shooting and 38.9% from the 3-point line in what could be his final games in a Golden State uniform.

Bulls in Talent Accumulation Mode

Getty Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors are expected to explore a sign-and-trade this offseason.

In the same way they did with the Giddey trade, the Bulls can flip another veteran from their roster who no longer fits their timeline. The odd man out would be 35-year-old center Nikola Vučević, who has been on the Warriors’ radar since the trade deadline.

The Warriors were “at the front of the line” in the weeks leading to the trade deadline for Vučević with the Bulls looking for a first-round pick in return, NBA insider Marc Stein reported in January.

Vučević is on an expiring $21.5 million salary. But the tricky part of trading for Kuminga is that he’s a restricted free agent, unlike Giddey last year when they landed him while he was entering the final year of his contract.

Only half of Kuminga’s annual pay in his next contract will be taken into account as his outgoing salary. While it’s not impossible, it’s a potential hurdle in trade discussions.

Nikola Vučević Wants Win Now

Getty Nikola Vucevic could bring back a rising star for the Chicago Bulls in a potential offseason trade.

Vučević hinted at a potential exit this offseason during his end-of-the-season press conference.

“There are some good, young pieces that can be built around,” Vučević told reporters. “There are a lot of questions when you’re a team not fighting for the top. I have trust in them and believe they want to do what’s best and build a good team that wants to win.

“So we’ll see. Obviously, I’m at the stage in my career where I’m trying to win now, play in the playoffs and hopefully have deep playoff runs. It’s a young team and it does take time. It all depends on what their timeline is and how they see this team.”

The Bulls are not going to compete for a championship next season. The Warriors are.

So, there could be mutual interest there between Vučević and the Warriors, which the Bulls could leverage to add another young talent.