The Bulls are moving in a completely new direction ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
Chicago dealt two-time All-Star center Nikola Vucevic and a second-round pick to the Boston Celtics in exchange for sharpshooter Anfernee Simons and a second-rounder, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday afternoon.
The swap marked Chicago’s second blockbuster trade of the day, kicking off a drastic directional shift for the franchise.
An hour earlier, the Bulls landed Jaden Ivey and Mike Conley Jr. in a three-team trade with the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Chicago offloaded its aging former centerpiece, who’s averaging 16.9 points and nine rebounds per game in his age-35 season.
In return, the team secured a 26-year-old sharpshooter — scoring 14 points per game at a blistering 39.5 clip from downtown — who bolsters a youth movement catalyzed by Coby White and do-it-all guard Josh Giddey.
Add to that a dynamic guard in Ivey, who joins fellow burgeoning scorers in Ayo Dosunmu and Matas Buzelis, the Bulls now boast a loaded young core for years to come.
Boston, meanwhile, cashed in on its deep bag of shooters and corralled an established veteran big to headline its frontcourt alongside Neemias Queta and Luka Garza.
The Bulls enter Tuesday’s slate at 24–26 and occupy the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference, firmly planted in the play-in race.
After Tuesday, they might just be contenders.
