Bulls All-Star surprisingly mentioned as newest trade piece as offseason heats up

It's been a manic and unpredictable summer for the Chicago Bulls already, and now they are reportedly looking to deal a franchise centerpiece who was widely assumed to be off the market.

Is Chicago rebuilding, or not?

This has been the burning question on the minds of Bulls fans everywhere, and it's a question that Chicago's vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas has done little to answer during a pair of offseason interviews teeming with contradictions.

Examining Karnišovas's actions, rather than his words, however, leads one to the conclusion that, yes, the Bulls have activated a full-scale rebuild and youth movement.

The first hint of Chicago's rebuild came last week, as it dealt away a playoff-ready defensive monster for a 21-year-old future star.

Hint No. 2 arrived on Wednesday night, as Karnišovas and Co. drafted a 19-year-old prospect rather than deal the Bulls' pick for an asset of more urgent value.

For whatever reason, Karnišovas was still attempting to deny the rebuild as of Wednesday night through unconvincing declarations of his supposed desire to re-sign DeMar DeRozan.

Yet, less than 24 hours later, Chicago's true intentions became undeniably exposed, as it surfaced that the Bulls are in active trade talks regarding their two-time All-Star center Nikola Vučević.

Reporting for Action Network, senior NBA writer Matt Moore revealed that Chicago is looking to move the frontcourt star.

“The Bulls are known to be looking to move Nikola Vucevic, along with the never-ending Zach LaVine saga," Moore said. "The Caruso trade both helps and hurts those efforts because Caruso’s contract was a quality lubricant for teams willing to take on those contracts, which now isn’t available.”

News of Vučević's availability is sure to elicit a collective sigh of relief and seal of approval from Bulls Nation. Keeping Vučević would make little sense since it's now become clear that Chicago is intent on tastefully tanking in 2024-25 and securing a brighter tomorrow.

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