The Chicago Bulls are stuck firmly in the middle, and they have no one else to blame but themselves for that fact. Obviously, the long-term injury to Lonzo Ball hasn’t helped their plans, but regardless, their current core simply isn’t good enough to compete for a top playoff spot in what is a very talented Eastern Conference.
They are going nowhere fast, yet the front office seems content sticking with their current core. If they want to improve, they need to make a move, and if they don’t, a rebuild would be what’s best for the franchise. Risks need to be taken.
And according to Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report, the Bulls are one of five teams that should risk a trade for disgruntled Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden.
“Even with three high-level individual offensive players in Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vučević, the Chicago Bulls only managed 113.8 points per 100 possessions in 2022-23,” Bailey wrote. “Years ago, that mark would’ve been fine, but it gave them the league’s 24th-ranked offense last season.
“And with starting point guard Lonzo Ball reportedly set to miss his second straight campaign recovering from a knee injury, the Bulls could use a table-setter like Harden to put the offense in better alignment.”
Bailey even suggested the idea of building a trade around Zach LaVine, should the Bulls want to get off his contract.
“Building the deal around LaVine might make sense if Chicago is looking for a way out of this core,” Bailey wrote. “He could conceivably keep Philadelphia in the title hunt as part of a trio with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.”
A Harden trade would be a risk, but could it help the Bulls get back on track one way or another? Maybe.
