NBA free agency 2023: Nikola Vučević, Bulls agree to 3-year contract extension worth reported $60 million
Nikola Vučević is staying with the Chicago Bulls, the team announced Wednesday. The 32-year-old's contract extension is worth $60 million over three years, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Vučević averaged 17.6 points and 11 rebounds with Chicago last season, his first time playing all 82 games during his 12-year career. It was also the center's second full season with the team after being acquired from the Orlando Magic in the middle of the 2020-21 NBA season.
By the end of the most recent campaign, he was ranked third in the league in double-doubles, shooting 52% from the field.
“I’m excited to continue my journey as a Chicago Bull,” Vučević said in the team's release. "Since I have arrived in Chicago, everyone in the organization has been incredibly welcoming to my family and me. I am motivated more than ever to achieve our mutual goals as a team."
Prior to joining the Bulls, the USC product was a first-round pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2011 NBA Draft. He averaged just 5.5 points in 55 games as a rookie. Before his second season, he was included in the four-team trade that sent Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Vučević landed in Orlando and immediately took a step forward on the court. He averaged 13.1 points and 11.9 rebounds during his first season with the Magic.
Over the next eight seasons in Orlando, Vučević gradually made improvements to his game, ultimately making the All-Star team during the 2018-19 NBA season.
During his tenure in Chicago, Vučević, along with DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, helped lead the Bulls back to the playoffs during the 2021-22 NBA season after a four-year postseason drought. Vučević put up identical scoring and rebounding numbers the following season, but the Bulls posted a disappointing 40-42 record and were bounced in the play-in tournament by the Miami Heat.
Despite some trade speculation, Bulls executive vice president Artūras Karnišovas was consistent in publicly stating his plans to re-sign Vučević.
Having made the move ahead of the start of free agency Friday, the team will be able to focus on its pressing backcourt needs. Point guard Coby White, Chicago's top bench scorer last season, will be a restricted free agent, while star Lonzo Ball is expected to miss a second consecutive campaign with a dire knee injury.
