Bulls make 'pre-agency' push with deadline deals

The Chicago Bulls finally traded veteran center Nikola Vucevic, the same day they helped their division rival complete a trade. As usual, the team opted for players facing free agency rather than adding first-round picks.

Vucevic heads to the Boston Celtics for guard Anfernee Simons, while the Bulls picked up fourth-year guard Jaden Ivey and 19-year veteran Mike Conley for Kevin Huerter, in a three-way deal with the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves. It was a preemptive strike for the Bulls, who have a massive amount of salary cap space next summer — and now, two players to use it on.

Chicago Bulls are using cap space for trades, no free agents

Clearing cap space to add talent is a tried-and-true method for NBA teams, but one that has been less useful in recent years. Thanks to rules rewarding players for re-signing with their current teams and penalties for exceeding the NBA's luxury tax aprons, switching teams in free agency is harder. Many stars never reach free agency at all, either signing extensions or working out trades instead.

That's why the Bulls traded for prospective free agents instead. They'll get an extended look at Ivey and Simons before free agency begins. Ivey was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 draft, an intriguing scorer who has struggled with injuries since a broken leg ended last season. He's a restricted free agent, meaning the Bulls have the right to match any free-agent offer, giving them ample leverage.

Simons is a longtime Portland Trail Blazers guard who was averaging 14.2 points and shooting 39.5 percent coming off the bench for the Celtics. He'll be an unrestricted free agent after the season — unless the Bulls choose to extend him. All it cost the Bulls was flipping two veterans on expiring contracts.

The Bulls are using "pre-agency" to build their team

The technique of trading for players ahead of their free agency, known as "pre-agency," has become far more common. Last season, the Toronto Raptors traded a first-round pick for Brandon Ingram and signed him to a contract extension days later. The Golden State Warriors did the same with Jimmy Butler.

That was what the Bulls did when trading Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Josh Giddey, who they eventually signed during his restricted free agency. They didn't have to woo Giddey as a free agent; he came over in trade, played a season, and then the team used its leverage to get an affordable deal.

The Bulls might not be done yet, as they've been left with an overcrowded backcourt that includes imminent free-agent guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu. Tuesday's deals should seemingly make the pair expendable, but one can't make assumptions about a Bulls team that has had five point guards on the roster all season.

What's notable is the Bulls' lack of desire for first-round picks, though they did get what should be a very high second-rounder this year. Chicago seems focused on getting players in their mid-20s on cost-controlled deals, content to draft in the late lottery.

Will this approach work? Time will tell, but it's refreshing that the Bulls seem to finally have a logical approach beyond aiming for the play-in tournament every year. The next step? Trading one of those extraneous guards for a big man.