Getty Zach LaVine is guarded by Lonzo Ball during a February 10 game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
As the NBA playoffs continue on without the Chicago Bulls, some fans have turned their attention to the upcoming offseason, where they’ll look to make a splash in either free agency or via trade.
After finishing the year 31-41, and missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, there’s an urgency to form a ‘Big 3′ in the Windy City.
Chicago’s two-thirds of the way there, with Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine.
But when glancing at the upcoming free agency market, there are few fitting options that would truly help the Bulls’ to transcend their current status into the upper echelon of contention.
You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who thinks the next iteration of Chicago’s build will happen by way of free agency or the draft. It seems Arutras Karnisovas and the front office will have to pull off yet another blockbuster.
Among the top candidates? New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball, who they made a run at on the same day of their deadline deal for Vucevic, ultimately coming up short.
The 23-year old had a strong fourth-year campaign behind averages of 14.6 points, 5.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting a .378 clip from deep.
In his latest for Bleacher Report, The Best Trade Every NBA Team Can Actually Make This Offseason, Greg Swartz argues that there isn’t a better target out there for the Chicago Bulls.
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Swartz’s Trade Proposal
As has been reported, the Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Pelicans discussed a deal at some point during the season that would sen Lauri Markkanen to the Big Easy in exchange for Lonzo Ball.
Swartz took that in mind when framing his own proposal for Bleacher Report.
- Chicago Bulls receive: Lonzo Ball (sign-and-trade), Eric Bledsoe
- New Orleans Pelicans receive: Lauri Markkanen (via sign-and-trade), Thaddeus Young, 2024 second-round pick
As is noted above, both Ball and Markkanen are restricted free agents, meaning they’d both have to agree to terms on a new deal with Chicago and New Orleans before this deal could be completed.
Whether either of the youth has an interest in playing for the Bulls or Pelicans remains unclear.
But say that they do agree. There are still a lot of other moving pieces in this deal.
A High Price to Pay
Regarding Eric Bledsoe, it’s no secret that the Pelicans would like to get off his $18+ million salary going into next season. It makes sense that they’d use Ball as the medium through which to get that done.
The 11-year veteran had a rough go at things in his first year in New Orleans.
All his numbers dipped, and his shooting percentages did the same, dramatically. Bledsoe averaged 12.2 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.4 rebounds on a 42/34/69 shooting split over 71 games played.
Would the Bulls deem the veteran guard (and his salary) a worthy price to pay in order to get Ball, who’ve they longed for, for what feels like well over a year now? And on top of that, would they give up Thaddeus Young?
They need the salaries to match, but the 32-year old was also arguably their third-best player by the season’s end.
He finished the regular season averaging 12.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, a career-high 4.3 assists, and 1.1 steals.
It almost feels as if the asking price for Ball here is a little steep, especially given his free-agent status.
Chicago could elect to just roll the dice, sign the point guard to a lucrative offer sheet, and hope that the Pelicans don’t match it, ultimately landing him at the cost of nothing more than cap space.
But if the Bulls front office feels that New Orleans is set on matching whatever offer comes their way, not letting Ball walk for nothing, then this may be the necessary means to acquire him.
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Analyst Says Point Guard Blockbuster is Bulls ‘Best’ Trade Option