What it'll take for the Hornets to land Bulls star Nikola Vucevic

The Charlotte Hornets could use a legitimate NBA center, and the Chicago Bulls just happen to have one who is probably going to get traded: Nikola Vucevic. If ever there was a trade that makes sense, it's this one.

Vucevic would do nothing to help the already bad defense in the starting five. He's a porous defender, but he can shoot and score. They would have unbelievable spacing with him, LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, and Miles Bridges on the floor. They'd need to make use of that to score a ton, but they'd have it.

He's a one-year rental on a contract worth a little more than $21 million. It's not going to be impossible for the Hornets to take that on, though it'll require some salary matching. The main issue is that the Bulls also have a very thin center rotation.

It's Vucevic, Zach Collins, and second-round rookie Lachlan Olbrich, who probably isn't cracking the NBA rotation. First-round rookie Noa Essengue could play up at 6'10", but that's less than ideal, too. The Hornets, fortunately, do have an expendable big they could send: Mason Plumlee.

That does give Chicago another expiring center, but a much cheaper one, and another flip candidate at the deadline. If the season's lost, they can see what they have with Olbrich or Essengue playing the five with Collins. If it's not a lost season, they can hang on to Plumlee and ride it out.

Sadly, that doesn't remotely match salaries, since Plumlee costs the Hornets $2.3 million. Adding Josh Green to the mix, who is recovering right now and might miss the start of the season, fixes that issue, but that pairing is not nearly enough for Chicago.

The Bulls are seeking a first-round pick, but it's hard to envision them getting one for a 35-year-old, $21 million, one-year player. Instead, the Hornets can delve into their plethora of second-round picks to satisfy Arturas Karnisovas, who declined a trade down in the NBA draft that would've netted an unprotected first next year.