The Chicago Bulls have reportedly set a price on one of their key trade chips.

According to The Stein Line, Arturas Karnisovas and Co. are hoping to add draft compensation in a deal for Nikola Vucevic. The big man is putting together one of the best seasons of his career and remains readily available ahead of the 2024-25 trade deadline.

“After Oklahoma City failed to secure draft compensation in its trade of Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey in June, Chicago is said to be looking for a first-round pick to part with center Nikola Vucevic, who has performed tremendously offensive season. The two-time NBA All-Star is averaging 21.0 points and 9.8 rebounds per game while shooting an impressive 58.7% from the field and 47.4% on 3-pointers“wrote Marc Stein and Jake Fischer.

When we consider Vucevic’s All-Star level production, this seems like a reasonable request. It’s rare to see a big man put up these numbers for less than a first-rounder. Still, we already have reason to believe that the Bulls have gotten the laughs.

What can the Bulls get for Nikola Vucevic?

Only six players are averaging at least 21.0 points and 9.0 rebounds on 50.0 percent shooting from the field this season. Nikola Vucevic is one of those players, joining superstar names like Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Karl-Anthony Towns, Domantas Sabonis and Anthony Davis, according to NBA stats.

Although there is still a lot of basketball left this season, this stat highlights the elite class that Vucevic belongs to this season. When you factor in the fact that he’s also shooting 47.4 percent from three (only Jokic shoots better in this group), the veteran certainly feels like someone who could help a contender.

The Bulls shouldn’t be mocked for demanding a first-round pick in return for that level of production. I’m also assuming this is something like a top-10 protected first-rounder and not a completely unprotected pick. Now, does the $21.0 million he is owed next season impact his trade value slightly? Secure. Many winning teams would prefer to add an expiring contract. But that’s not a ridiculous amount in today’s NBA, especially for someone who does what Vucevic is currently doing. Not to mention, a team could always try to use his expiring mid-level contract to make a trade of their own next season.

Still, we have no reason to believe anyone will reach that first-round price just yet. In an earlier report this month, an executive estimated Vucevic’s value at two second-round picks. We also recently heard that interest in Vucevic and Zach LaVine remains low and that the price in Chicago is too high for both. So while the Bulls may covet a first round pick??? and maybe that sounds reasonable??? This might not matter if the market stays as it is.

The hope for Chicago is that teams begin to change their minds as more players come off the board and the reality of the trade deadline approaches. We certainly can’t rule this out, especially if Vucevic shows little sign of slowing down. Due to the fact that center is one of the deeper positions in the league and teams don’t like to spend a lot of money on big players, there is a world in which teams stick together and keep Vucevic’s value rather low.

However, if you’re one of the Bulls, you’re not necessarily in a rush. While you want to stay in the mix for a potential top-10 draft pick, you also want to maximize the value of your players. They still have just under two months until the trade deadline, so they can afford to play hard.