Getty Otto Porter Jr.
With trade rumors everywhere, the Chicago Bulls could look to deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder in a deal that would swap two huge contracts.
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Chris Paul to the Bulls
Paul is far from his prime at this point, but he’d still be the unquestioned starter at point guard ahead of his mentee Coby White. The two men have a relationship that dates back years when White attended Paul’s camp as a teenager.
Paul has a massive and mostly horrible contract because of the number of years and his age. However, it might be worth it for the Bulls to part ways with the oft-injured Otto Porter Jr. Including OPJ would be a necessity because Chicago has to find a salary that is commensurate with Paul’s massive price stage. In addition to OPJ, the Bulls could also offer veteran Thaddeus Young, an unprotected future first-rounder and their second-round pick from the upcoming draft.
That could theoretically get the job done.
A Potential Starting Five With Paul in Chicago
How does this sound?
PG – Chris Paul
SG – Zach LaVine
SF – Deni Avdija (Presumed Pick with the No. 4 selection in the 2020 draft)
PF – Lauri Markkanen
C – Wendell Carter Jr.
6th – Coby White
7th – Denzel Valentine
8th – Daniel Gafford
9th – Shaq Harrison
10th – Kris Dunn
11th – Luke Kornet
12th – Cristiano Felicio (or mid-level exception free agent)
That’s not a championship contender, but it does look more like a playoff roster with some serious upside. Paul’s contract runs through the 2021-22 season at a crippling average of $42.5 million per year. This will dramatically cripple the team’s chances of signing a free agent capable of pushing them over the top, but if Avdija can develop over the next year or two, along with LaVine, a resurgence from Markkanen, and healthy development of White and WCJ, the Bulls could be on the cusp of something significant heading into the 2022-23 season.