Chicago Bulls Trade Situation: A Minnesota-Influenced Trade or a Rebuild?
There’s no denying trade offers on the table for the Chicago Bulls prior to the 2016 NBA Draft on June 23. Let’s look at how the team could look if GarPax choose either offer that includes the Minnesota Timberwolves’ fifth overall pick and players or the Boston Celtics’ offer of the third and 23rd overall picks and players.
There’s no telling which options are most attractive to Gar Forman, John Paxson and Fred Hoiberg as they evaluate between two of the most recent rumored trade scenarios for moving up the draft in exchange for Jimmy Butler.
The Bulls have been rumored to be taking calls from teams who have asked about Butler and two have been the most prominent around the rumors: Minnesota and Boston.
We can attempt to dive into how the team will be put together if the front office decides to bite on either deal.
Trade with Minnesota: The 5th pick, Ricky Rubio and more?
Jimmy Butler was described by Gar Forman himself as “very valuable” at their end-of-the-season press conference. At least two teams with top-5 draft picks are offering those lottery spots for Butler, in addition to rotations players that the Chicago Bulls may want (with exceptions of course).
If the Bulls bite on the Minnesota offer, this is what the Fred Hoiberg’s new team could look like (if the Bulls send just Butler to the Timberwolves):
Guards: Derrick Rose, Ricky Rubio* (via trade), Zach LaVine* (via trade), Justin Holiday
Forward: Nikola Mirotic, Bobby Portis, Doug McDermott, Shabazz Muhammad* (via trade), Elgin Cook*** (via draft), Marquese Chriss*** (via draft), Timothe Luwawu*** (via draft)
Centers: Cristiano Felicio, Timofey Mozgov** (via free agency from Cleveland)
A trade with Minnesota could sure up the wing positions of the Bulls with up to three good players for Hoiball — LaVine, Muhammad and with the fifth overall pick, the Bulls could take a stab at Washington’s freakish athlete Marquese Chriss.
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Hoiberg could also get Ricky Rubio under his tutelage to run a faster game as a Derrick Rose backup plan, along with his connection to Nikola Mirotic through the Spanish National Team. The back court gets the defense it needs from Rubio and the Bulls’ shooters get their touches.
The Bulls will still have cap space if they clear Taj Gibson, Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah, waive Mike Dunleavy, don’t re-sign E’Twaun Moore, Aaron Brooks or Cameron Bairstow and trade Tony Snell for another veteran guard potentially. It’s a lot of movement, but it’s doable.
The interior defense is shored up when the Bulls clear salary space to grab Timofey Mozgov. The Bulls’ own picks at No. 14 and 48 could bring in Timothe Luwawu and defensive hound Elgin Cook from a high-powered Oregon roster.
Look at what comes to the Bulls in the form of faster-pace players in Muhammad, LaVine and Rubio, plus the chance to grab both Luwawu, Chriss and Cook as well.
It’s all hypothetical and a pipe dream, but having all of these fresh young athletes and then you can factor in guys like Doug McDermott with his shooting and hometown favorite Derrick Rose in a contract year.
More bulls: 2016 NBA Draft Talk: Washington's Marquese Chriss
Trade with Boston: Two first-round picks and Marcus Smart?
The offer from Boston looks thinner on paper because GarPax need to cherry-pick a weaker Celtics roster for the players that fit the team as part of the salary swap requirement in the draft.
The only viable studs on that team are Marcus Smart, R.J. Hunter and Avery Bradley. The Bulls would need more consistency on a sputtering offense, which is why Hunter may be the better option than trying to snag Jae Crowder.
Let’s see if the team looks as good as the hypothetical Minnesota offer after a trade:
Guards: Derrick Rose, Kris Dunn*** (via draft), Justin Holiday, Marcus Smart* (via trade)
Forwards: Bobby Portis, Nikola Mirotic, Doug McDermott, Timothe Luwawu*** (via draft), R.J. Hunter* (via trade), Elgin Cook* (via draft)
Centers: Cristiano Felicio, Timofey Mozgov** (via free agency from Cleveland), Thon Maker*** (via draft)
Along with clearing the cap space needed from the previous scenario, the Bulls get younger and bring in some good assets.
R.J. Hunter could be a better cog than Zach Lavine as a three-point gunner. If there’s a cheaper option that can replace Mike Dunleavy’s production from long range, it is Hunter. Marcus Smart is a high-energy, high-motor defensive guard who gave Jimmy Butler fits during match-ups where the Celtics were always blitzing the Chicago Bulls’ pick-and-roll attack. He essentially replaces Butler’s defensive role off the bench.
The interesting part of the Boston trade is that the Bulls can opt for draft mystery Thon Maker as a later first-round selection from Boston and grab Kris Dunn with the lottery pick. Maker may actually have more upside skill wise than Marquese Chriss, given they’re the same age, but Chriss is the better physical prospect over Maker.
The Bulls may or may not get more than two Boston first-rounders plus a second-round pick or two, depending on how GarPax assess the team’s needs.
If you take a good look at either trade offer, the exchange actually favors the Bulls in the sense that Hoiberg gets the pieces he needs for the team to play his style of attack basketball. Taking up either offer gives the Bulls more than three wings on offense and a chance to sure up the defense by drafting Timothe Luwawu with their own 14th pick and Marcus Smart.
If you look beyond stat sheet profiles, superfluous awards, watch each player and consider fit on the team, the exchange is really looking like what GarPax will be ironing out come June 23 or first day of July.
Next: The top mistakes of the 2015 offseason for the Bulls that led to this current offseason
Aggressive changes, plus a promise to do what needs to be done over tradition, are what give either snowballing idea (trades with either Minnesota or Boston) more traction than just rumors.