Per several reports on Monday, the Chicago Bulls are interested in acquiring reigning EuroLeague MVP Vasilije Micić. Let’s analyze what they’d have to give up to get him and his potential fit on the Bulls.

How The Bulls Could Trade For Vasilije Micić

If they want to get Micić, the Bulls will have to acquire his rights from the Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC acquired Micić’s draft rights from the 76ers last offseason as part of the Al Horford trade that also netted them a 2025 first-round pick. It’s unknown what it would take for the Bulls to actually acquire Micić, as it would all depend on how the Thunder value Micić. Several ideas have been tossed around as possible trade packages, but they’ve ranged from a single second-round pick to a Lauri Markkanen sign-and-trade. It’ll all depend on how highly both Chicago and OKC value Micić, as well as what other teams may be interested in acquiring the long-time EuroLeague star.

My idea of a potential package for Micić is a second-round pick and Ryan Arcidiacono (team option). It gives the Thunder some compensation for Micić, and the Bulls take a flier on a potentially great player. The Thunder may not have much of a role available for Micić, as they already have guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, and Theo Maledon (who they also acquired in the Horford trade).

Vasilije Micić’s agent previously said that his client will stay in Europe if he doesn’t find a quality, non-bench role in the NBA, so that may factor into OKC’s decision to either trade or keep him. Micić’s agent also represents Bulls 2020 second-round pick Marko Simonović, who is also expected to come to the States this offseason.

Micić’s fit with the Bulls is somewhat unclear. He’s a 6’6″ guard who’s not only been a decent facilitator (4.5 assists per game in his career). Micić’s agent previously stated that his client won’t go to the NBA just to be a bench player, and the Bulls already have Zach LaVine and Coby White playing at SG. One factor in Micić’s fit on the Bulls could be head coach Billy Donovan‘s tendency to use three-guard lineups. While coaching the Thunder in 2019, Donovan frequently utilized lineups featuring Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Dennis Schroeder. However, those players can all play a more traditional point guard role, whereas none of the three prospective Bulls have played that role very well.

One advantage of acquiring Vasilije Micić is that, if the front office sees him as a starting-caliber point guard, they wouldn’t have to overpay one of the free-agent point guards and could instead have the money to retain Tomas Satoransky and Thaddeus Young. Additionally, the Bulls would have $10M in cap space, which they could use to sign a quality bench player or two.

Despite the question of Micić’s fit, it makes sense that the Bulls are looking into a potential trade. Good front offices always look to acquire talented players for a decent price, and if he can develop into a starting point guard, Chicago could fill a need without giving up nearly as much as they would if they either signed a free-agent point guard or acquired a bigger name via trade.

The front office obviously likes European players, as they’ve drafted Simonović and pulled off a blockbuster trade for Nikola Vučević. Though it remains to be seen whether the Bulls actually end up trading for Micić, they could end up getting a steal in the EuroLeague MVP.

Stats via Basketball Reference

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