Getty Chicago Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic handles the ball during a bout with the Phoenix Suns.
The Chicago Bulls finally managed to get back on the winning track on Wednesday night after riding a DeMar DeRozan fourth-quarter outburst to a 115-111 win over the Washington Wizards. It’s hard to get too excited, though, when the team is currently sitting in 12th place in the East at 10-14 on the season.
And while Alex Caruso racked up nine assists and four steals versus the Wiz, there’s no doubting how much point guard Lonzo Ball’s absence has affected the Windy City crew.
Despite the Bulls’ middling (bad?) returns so far this season, there’s a thought that having a floor general like Ball in the fold would propel the team into the title picture. With that being the case — and with Ball himself unlikely to return any time soon — Sports Illustrated‘s Ben Stinar just pitched a trade that would see a six-time All-Star pick up the baton at the point.
“I believe the Bulls and Miami Heat should consider making an intriguing trade that would swap Vucevic and Kyle Lowry,” wrote Stinar.
To that end, here’s one deal that would see the aforementioned ballers swap teams.
Bulls Cash In on Their Two Biggest Pieces of Trade Bait
Whether or not the Heat would actually want Vucevic with Bam Adebayo manning the middle and having a career year is up for debate. You could slide the latter to power forward spot and put Vooch in the pivot if you’re Erik Spoelstra, but you have to wonder what that would do to the Heat’s spacing (which is already cramped with Jimmy Butler eating so many possessions) and defense.
If that’s not an obstacle, though, the following trade makes some level of sense for both sides:
- Chicago Bulls receive PG Kyle Lowry, C Omer Yurtseven and a top-10 protected first-round pick in 2023
- Miami Heat receive C Nikola Vucevic and PG Coby White
As Stinar sees it, a Lowry play would “give the Bulls the point guard they need to help facilitate their offense and save the season.” And if you’re looking at raw counting stats, the 2019 NBA champion brings some things to the table. Through 25 appearances this season, Lowry is averaging 14.4 points, 6.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals.
His propensity for taking charges and willingness to at least try being a good team defender would be assets as well.
Additionally, Chicago gets rewarded for taking on Lowry’s sizable deal — the wily vet inked a three-year, $85 million deal in 2021 — with an intruiging big man prospect in Yurtseven and a valuable draft asset. And they also get a return on Vucevic and White, neither of whom have received contract extensions.
Could the Bulls Do Better, Though?
Even if Lowry was able to save the Bulls’ season, would that be enough to justify the $29.7 million the team would have to dole out for him in 2023-24? Bulls brass was already reluctant to spend on talent upgrades last summer, so bringing a soon-to-be 37-year-old Lowry’s deal onto the books would represent a radical departure from the current philosophy.
Also — ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski recently indicated that there would be significant interest in Vucevic on the open market, and White is a lottery-level talent who’s not long removed from starting and logging a 15-5-4 line.
So, there’s a chance that the Bulls could do better than an aging backcourt baller who’s shooting under 40% from the field this season, a big who’s coming off ankle surgery and a mid-first-round pick in a trade.