Nikola Vucevic knows the signs of when a team and a player are headed in opposite directions. It’s happening in Chicago. The Bulls are building toward the long-term future, eyeing draft picks and shopping their top talent in the process.

Vucevic has been at the center of trade rumors all season, but a big slump has come right before the NBA trade deadline. His three-point shooting has dropped off dramatically this January. He is shooting the deep ball at a 26.1% clip. He had been over 40% every other month this season.

The Bulls haven't made a trade deadline deal since 2021 when they sent Wendell Carter Jr. and two first-round picks in exchange for Nikola Vucevic. Chief executive Arturas Karnisovas can't afford to continue that inactivity for a third time.