The Bulls surrendered plenty in their trade for Nikola Vucevic – two first-round picks and Wendell Carter Jr.
An oft-overlooked aspect of the deal with the Magic: Chicago had to take Al-Farouq Aminu, whose $10,183,800 player option for next season was a liability.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
Chicago Bulls forward Al-Farouq Aminu plans to exercise the $10.2M player option on his contract for next season, sources tell ESPN. Aminu will return to the Bulls in 2021-2022 after arriving with Nikola Vucevic in the deadline deal with Orlando.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 18, 2021
Aminu has missed 105 games the last seasons while batting knee injuries. He’ll turn 31 before next season.
That’s a pretty discouraging combination.
The Bulls could stretch Aminu if they want more cap space. His expiring contract might prove useful in facilitating a trade.
But Chicago is probably stuck hoping Aminu – once a steady defensive-minded power forward – stays healthy enough to contribute in a limited role for a team hoping to reach the 2022 postseason.
