Getty Los Angeles Lakers center DeAndre Jordan.
When Paul Millsap joined the Brooklyn Nets before the start of this season, the Chicago Bulls were right behind them on his list of teams, per NBC Sports K.C. Johnson.
The veteran forward has not played much for the Nets, which has led to a mutual agreement from both parties to separate, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The Nets will work with Millsap on finding a new landing spot via trade.
What Could Chicago Give up?
The Bulls have plenty of ways to trade for Millsap, who is on a veteran’s minimum contract of just $1.6 million, per Spotrac.
Center Tony Bradley is on a similar deal ($1.7 million) and thus a straight one-to-one swap between the two clubs would work from a financial perspective.
Javonte Green and Matt Thomas are two Bulls players earning the exact same amount as Millsap, meaning they too could act as trade pieces.
Should the Bulls Make a Play for Millsap?
The former All-Star is turning 37 on February 10, and his age has caught up to him in recent years.
While still a muscular and physical defender, Millsap has lost a few steps athletically and has never been a particularly nimble athlete which has only made the later years of his career more difficult in terms of playing a heavy minutes toll.
Looking back at the trade options from the side of the Bulls, the energetic Green should be entirely off the table as his trade value is substantially higher than that of Millsap’s.
Bradley offers size (6-foot-10) the Bulls generally don’t have a lot of, and since Millsap only stands 6-foot-7 this too would seem like a poor fit, especially by arming a potential playoff opponent with further size for the postseason.
That leaves Thomas, the 6-foot-4 shooting guard who has seen extended minutes as of late due to the team’s injury woes.
While Thomas can shoot the ball, he’s not an effective defender and plays a position not of major need for the Bulls, given the success of both Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu.
If the Nets were inclined to move Millsap for Thomas, that would present the Bulls with a better roster symmetry moving forward.