Getty Lonzo Ball #2 of the Chicago Bulls during a game against the Brooklyn Nets.
The Chicago Bulls have the third-best record in the Eastern Conference standings and are on their way to making the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
All-Stars DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine have meshed well together in their first season as a duo and Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso and the rest of the supporting cast in Chicago have played their roles to a T.
Bulls president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley are under zero pressure to make a trade since the roster they have put together was first in the East before Ball and Caruso underwent serious surgeries. Both former Los Angeles Lakers guards are expected to return this season, so the Bulls will likely compete for the No. 1 seed in the East when Ball and Caruso are back in the mix with DeRozan, LaVine and Vucevic.
However, trade season always brings out the best — and sometimes the worst — in NBA front offices, which means Karnisovas and Eversley could have something up their sleeves. And if it was up to one insider at Bleacher Report, the Bulls would think about trading Ball and Coby White for a three-time All-Star who hasn’t played a single game this season.
Proposed Trade Sends Ben Simmons to Bulls for Ball, White
Ben Simmons requested a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers in the offseason after the Sixers lost to the Atlanta Hawks in the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals. The three-time All-Star and All-NBA defender hasn’t played this season and wants a new home, but Sixers head of basketball operations Daryl Morey will only trade Simmons for an elite package.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley recently proposed a trade between the Bulls and Sixers featuring Simmons, Ball, White and Patrick Williams. Chicago would receive Simmons, while Philadelphia would get Ball, White and Williams.
It’s worth mentioning, though, that Buckley wrote, “Value-wise it’s not terrible, but neither team signs off on the swap.”
He’s probably correct in that assessment, as neither the Bulls nor Sixers would likely complete this trade.
Bulls Love Lonzo; Sixers Want Superstar in Return for Simmons
The Bulls really like Ball, who was averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists and playing stout defense before undergoing surgery on his left knee. Buckley put it best in his column: “The Bulls probably see Ball (when healthy) as a similar talent, only not as ball-dominant and legitimately threatening from distance.”
Ball was shooting 42.3% from beyond the arc before going under the knife. Unlike Simmons, he’s a threat from the perimeter and has turned himself into a reliable shooter. Ball fits well with LaVine and DeRozan since his 3-point shooting spaces the floor for the Bulls stars to attack the rim and score.
Morey probably has no interest in acquiring Ball, White and Williams for Simmons. He wants James Harden, the player he had so much success with on the Houston Rockets.
The Sixers are trying to acquire Harden at this year’s trade deadline, but if they can’t, Morey can always sign the one-time MVP in the summer. After all, Harden becomes an unrestricted free agent in July.