It's been nearly a week since the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from the 2024-25 NBA playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves. The disappointingly brief postseason run revealed plenty of issues regarding the Lakers' roster, and one of the team's biggest areas of need is their razor-thin frontcourt depth.
Although the Lakers don't regret acquiring a generational talent like Luka Doncic before the trade deadline, moving on from Anthony Davis left head coach JJ Redick without any reliable centers to play once the postseason arrived. In other words, Los Angeles will spend a lot of time this offseason looking for proven big men who can help keep the team in championship contention next season.
Fortunately, the perfect trade partner to help address the Lakers' center-related issues just emerged.
Bulls Are Perfect Trade Partner to Help Solve Lakers' Center Issues
Several teams that missed the 2025 postseason will be looking to shake up their rosters this summer, including the Chicago Bulls. If the Bulls do head down a seller's path, the Chicago Sun-Times' Joe Cowley is reporting that two of their big men could be available for a trade.
"The Bulls have bodies at center, but they have to figure out if they have the right ones," Cowley wrote. "Nikola Vucevic and Zach Collins each have one more year left on their deals and could be moved this offseason."
With Vucevic and Collins only having one year remaining on their respective contracts, both centers should be attractive targets to the Lakers this offseason. Either big man would provide general manager Rob Pelinka with an affordable rental option rather than taking a long-term risk.
Vucevic, 34, is a 14-year veteran who's played nearly 1,000 games between his time with the Bulls, Orlando Magic, and Philadelphia 76ers. Even though his performance isn't at an All-Star-level anymore, the Swiss center still averaged a respectable 18.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while shooting 53.0% from the floor and 40.2% from deep in 73 outings with Chicago last season.
Meanwhile, Collins started the 2024-25 season with the San Antonio Spurs before being moved in a three-team pre-deadline deal that also involved the Sacramento Kings. The 27-year-old rebounder ended up playing 64 games with the Spurs and Bulls, putting up 6.4 points and 4.5 rebounds with .507/.302/.885 shooting splits in 64 games (12 starts).
The Bulls duo brings different tools to the table, with Collins being more of a traditional center while Vucevic is the more well-rounded option. Having said that, either center would be an upgrade over the Lakers' current situation, making it in general manager Rob Pelinka's best interest to call Chicago before other teams beat him to the punch.
With Vucevic and Collins carrying 2025-26 cap hits of $21.4 million and $18 million, respectively, the Lakers will need to trade a couple of contracts to facilitate a trade with the Bulls. The good news is that Los Angeles has several movable contracts, including those of Rui Hachimura ($18.2 million), Gabe Vincent ($11.5 million), and Maxi Kleber ($11 million).
Combining two of those contracts — which all have one year remaining — with a draft pick might be too enticing for the Bulls to decline, especially if they have no intention of keeping Vucevic and/or Collins. Besides, it's the type of move that could convince LeBron James to remain in L.A. for another season.
The NBA postseason is flying by as the second round gets underway, meaning it won't be long before fans know if the Lakers and Bulls will make an offseason deal.