There’s an old expression about the best-laid plans. Often, they don’t go the way you’d hoped. It happens to frequently apply in the NBA.
Sometimes, a player acquisition makes more sense on paper than it ends up making in practice. A player may regress, or simply not fit with the pieces they already have in place.
Such was the case with the Chicago Bulls and big man Nikola Vucevic. Between him, Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan, the Bulls surely thought they were assembling an offensive superpower. As it turned out, they could have used more defense in the middle.
After all, LaVine and DeRozan were the focuses of their offense anyway, which relegated Vucevic to a floor-spacing role. His three-point accuracy declined, and his other offensive skills weren’t put to proper use.
Realistically, a center who spaces the floor and protects the rim would have higher utility on this team.
A center like, for example, Myles Turner. Here are three trades that send him to the Windy City this summer.
Indiana Pacers Receive: C Nikola Vucevic, 2023 First-Round Pick (POR via CHI), 2028 First-Round Pick (CHI)
Chicago Bulls Receive: C Myles Turner
At the risk of stating the obvious, the Indiana Pacers are not interested in landing Nikola Vucevic this summer.