Bulls center Nikola Vucevic knows where he is right now. He’s still practicing at the Advocate Center and still with the Bulls.
Next week? Next month? The trade deadline in February? Check back with him then.
That’s the mentality Vucevic has had for years, and that’s the mentality he will take into this season. Even after watching good friend — and former USC teammate — DeMar DeRozan be dealt to the Kings in a sign-and-trade and Alex Caruso be sent to the Thunder, his mindset is the same.
‘‘I honestly don’t think about it,’’ Vucevic said of the possibility that he might be next. ‘‘It’s stuff that’s out of my control. My focus is on this team and to help this team be the best team we can be. Changes and all that, that’s not my job. That’s the front office’s job.
‘‘They made changes this summer that they felt were best for this franchise, and we accept that [and] move on. Sure, it’s not easy when guys like DeMar and AC move on because they were huge parts of this team, not only for the quality on the court but who they were off the court, the good guys they were, the human beings. The human side, yes, it’s tough to deal with. But you have to accept this is the business. We didn’t have the team results we wanted and I felt we could have had [last season], so the front office decided to go a different direction. That was it. We’ll see how it all goes.’’
While numerous outlets have reported about the trade rumors surrounding Zach LaVine, the Sun-Times has reported several times since last season that the front office has been looking to part with Vucevic, too.
He has two years left on his contract, which calls for him to make $20 million this season and $21.5 million in 2025-26. But, as is the case with LaVine, the Bulls won’t attach draft capital in a package to move Vucevic. So he plays the waiting game.
That’s fine with Vucevic, who has other things on his mind. With Caruso and DeRozan gone, he knows his role as a leader will grow. And on the court, he’ll have to put an even larger emphasis on defense and figure out how his role on offense will change.
‘‘Losing [Caruso], who was a big, big part of our defense — an individual defender, a team defender, the vocal guy that he was — you definitely miss guys like that,’’ Vucevic said. ‘‘But a lot of the defense in the NBA is about team defense and team effort, and I think that’s how we’re going to have to do it. Help each other, cover for each other, communicate.
‘‘There are definitely ways that I can be used differently [offensively] than in the past, and I’ve been talking to [coach] Billy [Donovan]. So I’m excited about that.’’
What will excite Donovan and the coaching staff is if Vucevic can get back to being the 38% to 40% three-point shooter he was with the Magic and when the Bulls first acquired him at the trade deadline in 2021, rather than the career-worst 29.4% three-point shooter he was last season.
Would that make him a more attractive trade piece? Definitely. But, again, Vucevic doesn’t engage in such speculation. In his mind, winning games makes everyone more marketable. If the front office wants to make trades, that’s its prerogative.
‘‘If we have the approach of wanting to win and trying to win, that helps,’’ Vucevic said. ‘‘I think it’s different when you’re in a full-on rebuilding situation. That’s not the case here. We do have guys that do want to win, that are competitive.’’
Include Vucevic in that group — at least while he’s still with the Bulls.