The Chicago Bulls will have a ton of decisions to make this summer regarding the direction of the team. After making a plethora of moves in 2023 to improve the team, the two years since have been disappointing. They only made the playoffs in one of the two seasons and were eliminated in the first round.
Now, the Bulls have to decide whether their current roster can compete for a playoff spot and, more importantly, a championship. If they decide that’s not the case, then this offseason should provide them with the perfect opportunity to blow up the team and reset the roster.
And since they don’t currently have a pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, trading one, or both, of their stars in exchange for a top pick could be an intriguing idea. In fact, that’s exactly what Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report suggested they do. He proposed a deal with the Orlando Magic.
Potential Chicago Bulls trade
Here is the full outline of the trade Buckley proposed:
Magic receive: Zach LaVine
Bulls receive: Gary Harris, Jonathan Isaac, Jalen Suggs, 11th pick
Buckley's explanation from Bulls' perspective
According to Buckley, this is why Chicago should consider this deal:
It might be best for Chicago to bail this summer before it locks Nikola Vučević into a new deal. This may not be top-dollar for LaVine, but that could be hard to find given his colossally expensive contract and history of knee trouble.
Chicago gets back one of the firsts it traded in the Vučević deal, plus a plug-and-play wing in Gary Harris, 2021’s No. 5 pick in Jalen Suggs and a 6’11” wild card in Jonathan Isaac, a defensive dynamo who’s basically been healthy once in his six-year career.
The irony of this Bulls trade
Funnily enough, the first-round pick the Bulls would get back in this trade was theirs in the first place. It was one of the two first-round picks they dealt to the Magic in the trade for Nikola Vucevic.
Chicago would have kept the pick if it jumped into the top four, but since it landed at 11th, it conveyed to the Magic. This proposed trade would see the Bulls get it back.
Why the Bulls should make this trade
At this point, the Bulls should realize their current core isn’t capable of winning a title. If Lonzo Ball gets healthy, they could make a run at the playoffs, but a championship simply isn’t in the cards.
In turn, they should strike while the iron is hot and trade their star players this summer. This year’s NBA Draft is supposed to be stacked, so snagging a lottery pick could be huge for Chicago’s future.
Plus, while Jonathan Isaac has been unable to stay on the court, he’s a defensive ace when healthy. It would be a nice reclamation project for Chicago as they rebuild their roster.
Why the Bulls won't make this trade
That said, Arturas Karnisovas and the Bulls’ front office seem intent on keeping the current core intact. They are determined to compete with the roster they have and supposedly have no intention of blowing things up.
While that’s a respectable stance, it could hurt Chicago in the long run.
