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Billy Donovan
To this point the
Chicago Bulls have had a pretty good season, the team is 40-26 so far this season and is currently in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. However, the team has recently hit a rough patch as they’ve gone just 2-5 since the All-Star break.
Some of the Bulls’ recent struggles can be attributed to
injuries. The team has been without Patrick Williams, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso for an extended period of time. The Bulls also have a lack of size on the interior that causes them to struggle with elite big men.
Suggested Trade
Even when the Bulls are fully healthy though, it’s pretty clear that this is a team that isn’t ready to compete for an NBA championship. With that in mind, many expect the Bulls to be active this offseason in trying to improve their roster.
An Eastern Conference executive recently talked to Heavy Insider Sean Deveney and suggested a three-team trade that could help the Bulls.
“The thing they learned this year is that it is a good team, it is a team that can really compete but they need something else. Is that something else Patrick Williams? His defense, for sure, they need that. But he is still raw. They are a veteran team, though, DeRozan will be 33 this summer. They’ve got to recognize that. They also have seen, I think, that Vucevic has some struggles, too.
“I think they’d like to get another star in there, and there was a lot of talk about Jerami Grant but they need someone else who can space the floor and Tobias Harris is probably the best fit. The Sixers want to get rid of him. It will cost you Patrick Williams and Vucevic, I am sure, and you’d have to do a sign-and-trade with Derrick Jones, I would think. You’d also need a third team. Dallas is a team that would have eyes for Vucevic.
“So you’d have to send Vucevic and Williams to Dallas, Jones to Philly and you get Harris. The Mavs would have to move Dinwiddie and Bullock to the Sixers, they want to bulk up on the wings and need a backup point guard. The Bulls would need a big man, but they don’t need offense, just a shot–blocker. But something like that, it could work for everyone.”
Examining the Trade
It’s certainly a trade that could be enticing for the Bulls as a player of Harris caliber could help take pressure off of DeRozan and LaVine. If they did move Williams, Vucevic, and Jones they would also have to find some depth on the interior.
If the Bulls did make that trade, they wouldn’t necessarily need bigs that are offense-first players, but they would still need some size and defense to match up with elite teams. Some centers the Bulls could pursue in free agency include Dwight Howard, Kevon Looney, and Thomas Bryant.
None of those centers would be expensive and could help give the Bulls exactly what they need if they were to trade for Harris. The NBA playoffs haven’t even begun yet and the off-season rumors are already churning.
