On Thursday, June 30 at 6 p.m. eastern time NBA free agency will officially get underway. For the Chicago Bulls that will mean two things, trying to re-sign Zach LaVine and find other players to help the team improve in areas of need.
If the Bulls can re-sign LaVine early in free agency the team will then likely look for affordable players that can help in areas of need or seek trade partners. The two primary areas of need for the Bulls this summer are rim protection and three-point shooting.
Reports have indicated that the Bulls have been the primary suitor for Jazz center Rudy Gobert. But a deal has yet to get done and with that looms the possibility that another team could swoop in and trade for Gobert meaning the Bulls would have to look elsewhere for rim protection.
Interest in Hawks Star
Another player that has been popular in trade talks this summer has been Hawks forward John Collins. In his fifth season in Atlanta Collins grew frustrated with his role on the team which has fueled the trade speculation around him this offseason.
In a new article from Matt Moore of Action Network, he reveals that multiple teams have been inquiring about trading for Collins this summer.
Boston, Chicago, and Sacramento are three other teams that have shown interest in Collins, sources have said over the last few weeks. It’s a little surprising Collins’ market isn’t stronger. He averaged 16-8 on a miserable team last season, is a proven contributor at a high level in the playoffs, and gives good effort on both ends of the floor. Collins’ defense is his weak point, but at 24, he should improve significantly there over the next four seasons.
Collins would be an interesting addition for the Bulls if they were to make that deal. He doesn’t necessarily fill the team’s need for rim protection as he averaged just 1.0 blocks per game this season.
As Moore notes Collins could improve defensively with time and he would certainly provide the Bulls with a dependable third-scoring option behind DeRozan and LaVine if he re-signs. Collins has also shown to be a solid three-point shooter during his career shooting 37.6% from distance.
Possible Trade
Collins is just one year into a five-year $125 million contract that the Hawks signed him to last summer so trading for him won’t be easy. It’s unclear what the Hawks would want from the Bulls in a trade at this point.
A proposed trade on ESPN’s trade machine of Coby White, Alex Caruso, and Derrick Jones Jr. in exchange for Collins works but would that be enough for Atlanta. It’s unlikely the Bulls would want to part with Caruso or Williams as they view them as part of the team’s core.
The Bulls could also swap Nikola Vucevic in a deal for Collins that wouldn’t include any other players. If the Bulls made that deal though they wouldn’t have any centers on the roster unless they add one before making that deal.
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Bulls Interested in $125 Million Forward, Analyst Says