Bulls interested in EuroLeague MVP Micic

According to Eurohoops, the Chicago Bulls have interest in trading for Vasilije Micic.

Micic’s rights were acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Al Horford trade this past offseason. The guard was originally drafted 52nd overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2014 NBA Draft.

Micic has since opted to stay overseas in the seven years since the selection. Micic has established himself as one of the premier guards in Europe.

Micic won the EuroLeague MVP this past season, averaging 16.7 points and 4.9 assists in 40 games. During his MVP season, Micic became the first player in EuroLeague history to make at least 132 two pointers, 70 three pointers and 100 free throws made.

Micic’s agent recently stated that his player will not come over to the NBA to just be a bench player and will only make the move in the right situation.

His agent, Misko Raznatovic, never clarified what the right situation is, but it is easy to assume he meant playing consistent minutes and winning. Considering the Thunder will likely be in a rebuilding phase next season, neither of these options are guaranteed.

The Thunder’s backcourt is crowded with players such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Theo Maledon and whoever they end up drafting or picking up in free agency and trades. Moreover, the Thunder are a rebuilding team and rebuilding teams usually lose a lot.

The Bulls, on the other hand, are in a win now mode. But in terms of starting, I cannot envision the 27-year-old starting over either Zach LaVine or Coby White in a traditional backcourt.

In the last few weeks, Raznatovic has spoken very publicly about not allowing Micic to sit on the bench like Vassilis Spanoulis before him. Alper Yilmaz, Anadolu Efes Istanbul’s GM, seems resigned to the idea of Micic heading stateside.

In an interview with BeIn Sports, Yilmaz said

But then again, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan was highly successful with his three guard lineup in his last season in OKC with Chris Paul, SGA and Dennis Schroder. It is entirely that a similar formula can be used in the Windy City with LaVine, White and Micic.

This theory is plausible as Micic appears to be a legit three point shooter; he shot 38.9% from beyond the arc in nearly five attempts last season. Micic should provide value as an off the ball player and spacer.

At 27 years of age, Micic is a bit too old to fit with the Thunder’s timeline and his services would be much better suited for a win now team, which the Bulls are hoping to be. If the Thunder can get anything in return for Micic, it would be a nice added bonus.

It is still unknown whether or not Micic will be willing to play for the Thunder next season. In April of this year, his agent seemed open to the idea of Micic playing for the Thunder.

Raznatovic spoke to Novosti Online, a Serbian news outlet, last week and raised the possibility of Micic staying another year in Europe. Saša Ozmo had the details on Twitter.