With the Lakers having tried to fill gaps by plucking up other teams' overpaid scraps on bargain deals--Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton were their big adds--it only stands to reason that they will continue to try to find cheap ways to make the roster better. With the Bulls unable to find a trade partner for veteran center Nikola Vucevic, speculation has run rampant that Chicago will simply do what both Washington and Portland did with Smart and Ayton--buy him out. Except that Chicago has little incentive to do so.
NBA Exec Gets Honest About Lakers-Nikola Vucevic Rumors originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
We are firmly in the summer doldrums which means it's time to scrape the bottom of the barrel when it comes to NBA rumors. With the Lakers having tried to fill gaps by plucking up other teams' overpaid scraps on bargain deals--Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton were their big adds--it only stands to reason that they will continue to try to find cheap ways to make the roster better.
With the Bulls unable to find a trade partner for veteran center Nikola Vucevic, speculation has run rampant that Chicago will simply do what both Washington and Portland did with Smart and Ayton--buy him out.
Except that Chicago has little incentive to do so. Sure, Vucevic is going to be 35 in October and was never exactly fleet of foot, even as a young player, but he is still a guy who averaged 18.5 points and 10.1 rebounds while shooting 40.2% from the 3-point line.
Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
Bulls Have Little History of Buying Out Players
And the Bulls are still owned by chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. That's bad news for the Lakers.
"They're not looking to buy him out," one NBA executive said. "If there is one thing that has been consistent about Jerry Reinsdorf over 40 years--and he is the same with the White Sox (Reinsdorf also owns MLB's South Side team in Chicago)--it is that he does not pay players or coaches to not play or coach for him."
Still, there has been chatter that the Bulls will buy out Vucevic if they can't find a trade--though there is a big distinction to be made. They would potentially buy him out in February, if the team can't find a deal by the trade deadline. Veteran NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that this week, and clearly did not report that the Bulls would axe Vucevic this summer.
Vucevic has one year left on his deal, worth $21 million.
Lakers Chances of Adding Nikola Vucevic Are Slim
As things stand, the Lakers appear set to enter the 2025-26 season with a center rotation that is awkward, at best. Ayton is probably the starter, with Jaxson Hayes behind him. Neither offers much defensively, and with the way the Lakers are built, that's a major hindrance.
It's also a reason the Lakers would not give up a first-round pick for Vucevic, who is also a poor defensive center. There's a chance that the Lakers could wind up with Vucevic, but that chance is slim, and would not come until the winter, anyway.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
