A pair of Chicago Bulls stars has been singled out as the top trade candidates to watch in 2025-26.
Following three consecutive middling, lottery-bound seasons in the NBA’s junior varsity Eastern Conference, Chicago ownership in its infinite wisdom and care opted to extend the contracts of team president Arturas Karnisovas and head coach Billy Donovan.
Both Karnisovas and Donovan have held their respective positions since 2020. The Bulls have made the playoffs exactly once in that time span, and have zero blue-chippers among their mismatched-if-intriguing current personnel.
Chicago responded to its lack of success by offloading a coveted role player, 3-and-D point guard Lonzo Ball, to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a depreciated asset, wing Isaac Okoro, and zero draft equity. This marks the second straight summer the Bulls have ostensibly held negotiating leverage in offloading a desired vet and failed to extract any draft equity in the offing.
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The Bulls did make two selections in this year’s draft, raw forward Noa Essengue (the No. 12 pick) and big man Lachlan Olbrich (No. 55), though neither seems likely to contribute this season, if ever.
Now that Chicago’s front office has established a willingness to be exploited in all trade talks, presumably the entire team is open for business.
Per Sam Amico of HoopsWire, former two-time All-Star center Nikola Vucevic and 25-year-old combo guard Coby White are the top Bulls who are likely to be sought by opposing franchises during the 2025-26 season.
“Nikola Vucevic was the main name to watch all of last season and all of this summer,” Amico writes. “That won’t change until he’s finally traded. Most around the league feel as if this will be the year. Also, one scout swears we will want to keep an eye on Coby White.”
White, the Bulls’ best player, is severely underpaid, earning $12.9 million on an expiring deal. He’s in line to make probably double that sum on the open market next summer, if not more. Even Chicago might balk at agreeing to a deal for him now.
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