Getty Images Nikola Vucevic
The Chicago Bulls got a huge win over the Milwaukee Bucks in game two of their first-round series 114-110 on Wednesday night. The win allowed the Bulls to steal homecourt advantage from the Bucks as they evened the series at 1-1.
The win was a big bounce back for the Bulls who struggled to hit shots in their game one loss. In game two Chicago shot 49.4% from the field and made 12 threes to shoot 48% from distance.
Leading the way for the Bulls was DeMar DeRozan who bounced back with 41 points. While Nikola Vucevic chipped in with 24 and Zach LaVine had 20.
Proposed Trade
While the game two win for the Bulls is certainly encouraging for the team, it doesn’t cover up the problems they had over the second half of the season. The Bulls showed they had a lack of defensive size and rim protection on the interior which caused the team issues.
In a new article from Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley, he proposes four realistic trades that could take fanbases by surprise this summer. One of the proposed trades would see the Bulls trade Vucevic, Patrick Williams, and Coby White to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Rudy Gobert and Rudy Gay.
For the Jazz to do this deal, they must have decided that Gobert needs to go but a total tear-down isn’t necessary. If they retain the rest of their roster, they could perhaps raise their ceiling above where the current core has plateaued.
Vucevic isn’t a great defender, but he is solid in a team scheme and much more skilled offensively than Gobert. Vucevic can score from the inside and out, find shots for his teammates and function as a pick-and-roll screener. His offensive arsenal could simplify things for Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley, either by widening their attack lanes as a spacer, working two-man actions with them or providing a safety valve as a self-sufficient scorer.
Williams is the real crown jewel here, though, and potentially the big-wing defender the Jazz have sorely missed. He’s still somewhat of a mystery with only 88 games under his belt, but he has already laid a three-and-D foundation and flashed the potential to become so much more. White is a spark-plug scorer who could team with Jordan Clarkson to give Utah a potent one-two punch off the bench.
Gobert would definitely address the Bulls’ defensive weakness on the interior. The one hangup for Chicago in this trade might be that it includes Williams. In the past, the Bulls have shown they aren’t interested in trading Williams, but the chance to add a center like Gobert might be too good to pass up.
A Real Threat
With the Bulls splitting the first two games in Milwaukee the team was able to steal homecourt advantage from the defending champions. The Bucks also got some bad injury news after game two as Khris Middleton was diagnosed with a mild MCL sprain and could miss two to four weeks.
If Middleton is out that long then it means he’ll miss the rest of the series. If the Bucks are shorthanded for the rest of the series then the Bulls might have an advantage going forward. How the rest of this series plays out might effect what moves the Bulls will make this summer.