If the Golden State Warriors are waiting to get a better buyer's price for Chicago Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic, then the value certainly won't be reducing based on the 2x All-Star's form.
Vucevic was reported as the most internally discussed Warriors trade target according to The Athletic last week, with the need for a shooting big man seemingly only growing ahead of the February 6 deadline.
Nikola Vucevic continues to fire for the Bulls
After Golden State and other rival teams had little interest in the veteran center during the offseason, Vucevic continues to raise his value with another eye-catching performance on Friday amid the trade rumors.
Vucevic had 23 points in just 27 minutes as the Bulls blew out Jordan Poole and the Washington Wizards at United Center. The Montenegrin finished an efficient 9-of-12 shooting from the floor and 4-of-6 from 3-point range, also adding 13 rebounds and six assists while finishing a +29 in the 138-105 victory.
Vucevic is still averaging 20.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists this season, shooting 55.8% from the field and 43.3% from 3-point range on nearly five attempts per game. There's been significant debate on what the 34-year-old would be worth in a trade, with the hope from a Golden State perspective that they could get away with expiring salaries and second-round draft capital given the Brooklyn Nets return for Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith.
However, Vucevic's form is making that all the more unlikely, not to mention that the Bulls appear far less incentivized to be sellers than the Nets were. The Warriors may have also cost themselves some leverage on Friday when Steve Kerr blatantly stated how nice it was to have a stretch five on the floor, having played rookie center Quinten Post for seven minutes in the 108-96 loss to the Indiana Pacers.
It therefore looks increasingly likely that Golden State would have to stump up a first-round pick for Vucevic, or be willing to relinquish a young player like Moses Moody who the Bulls could have interest in.
Not only did Vucevic deliver another big performance against the Wizards, but the Warriors regret at rejecting a trade for Zach LaVine during the offseason only worsened. The explosive guard again went for 33 points, five rebounds and three assists on 14-of-21 shooting in 33 minutes, with LaVine now joining Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the only players in the league to record five consecutive 30+ point games this season.
