Getty Images Billy Donovan
The Chicago Bulls are gearing up for what looks like it could be a busy offseason for the team. First, the Bulls will have the NBA Draft on Thursday night and then free agency will get underway a week later on June 30.
The Bulls currently own the 18th overall pick in the draft and could use the pick as a way to both improve the roster right away and add some youth. Chicago could also look to trade the player they select after the draft is over.
Front of the Line
Since the Bulls’ season ended in the first round of the playoffs there have been a number of rumors surrounding the team. Some of the rumors have been about players the Bulls could target this offseason to help improve their roster and lately one name has continued to surface, Jazz center Rudy Gobert.
Recently NBA Insider Marc Stein joined The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor on Spotify Live where Stein discussed the rumors.
“Like I said, they are the team that people talk about most with Utah but I can’t sit here and handicap it…Chicago is certainly near or at the front of the line but I don’t think we can say it’s for sure going to happen at this point.”
O’Connor followed that with his own thoughts about the Bulls trying to land Gobert.
“It’ll be very interesting to see though because he makes a heck of a lot of sense for that roster addresses all of their needs. The Bulls should be all in on Gobert.”
It’s no secret that the Bulls struggled with interior defense this season and Gobert could certainly help. The Jazz big man is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and a three-time all-star.
This season Gobert averaged 15.6 points, 14.7 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game. He also had a league-high and career-high field goal percentage of 71.3%.
Possible Trade
Stein didn’t discuss what a possible trade might look like for the Bulls and Jazz but it would almost certainly be centered around Bulls center Nikola Vucevic. The Bulls would also probably have to throw in Coby White and possibly another player to get the Jazz to make that trade.
According to ESPN NBA Draft analyst Jonathan Givony, Vucevic hopes to sign an extension with the Bulls to stay with the team. But at this point, it seems like if the Bulls are going to make a big trade this summer then Vucevic will likely be included.
The Jazz would probably ask for Patrick Williams but the Bulls have been hesitant to trade the young forward as recent as the trade deadline. So if the Bulls were to try and trade for Gobert it seems likely at this point that they’d have to include the player they select with the 18th pick in the draft.
The crunch time of this offseason has officially arrived for the Bulls and the next couple of weeks will be crucial in shaping how the team will look next season and in the future.