Trading Up: Packages the Bulls could use for move up in 2017 NBA Draft
By Willie Lutz
“With the 16th pick in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls select… to trade up for a prospect with a higher ceiling and lower floor!”
*Crowd noise heard from Wrigleyville to the Barclays Center*
As draft classes come and go, the wily Chicago Bulls front office continue to find themselves whiffing. It’s been first-round picks spent on replacement-level talent (Denzel Valentine, Bobby Portis, Tony Snell) or exchanging potential studs (reference Gary Harris and Jusuf Nurkic for Doug McDermott, circa 2014).
Expecting to hit a homer, which it REALLY seems like this roster needs, is quite an iffy bet. Following the insignificant loitering in the middle-to-lower realm of the Eastern Conference, it seems like the the Bulls roster is ready for a change of guard.
Following the Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade experiment, veteran-hood doesn’t appear to to be the right move in the narrative in the Chicago basketball landscape. So, much like the consecutive drafts that brought Joakim Noah (2007) and Derrick Rose (2008) to Chicago, it’s time for the Bulls to, once again, get refreshed.
With a handful of assets, Bulls are in a make-or-break spot; move up for affordable, young talent, or brave the course with the current core.
Moving up in the draft comes at a price, as high-level prospects often end up charming the scouting departments. Once charmed, it becomes increasingly difficult to get the nibble required for the fishing dual that is a trade.
Before we get started, I’d like to note that for this read, I’ll be using DraftExpress’s 2017 Mock Draft to project which teams might be interested in landing each prospect.
Here’s what the Bulls will likely have to do in order to move up into one of the top five spots in the 2017 NBA Draft.