For a team renowned for its hard practices and intense locker room culture, a bulldog point guard that plays hard defense and has a lot of passion may prove to be a match made in heaven. As future NBA Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade prepares to retire, the Heat will be stuck with only two active guards on the roster next year: Goran Dragic and Dion Waiters.
Considering Dragic’s steady decline – posting the worst true shooting percentage of his career since 2010 – it may be time for Miami to consider alternative options. Dragic has never once in his career posted a positive defensive box plus/minus rating, so perhaps transitioning Kris Dunn into the starting lineup would provide a new edge to this Miami team.
This move also has the added advantage of allowing Dragic to tear apart opposing teams’ benches while keeping his minutes down as he begins to battle Father Time.
Although Miami might be in payroll hell for the next two or three years, picking up Dunn would allow them to add a legitimate development piece without giving up too much in return. A core of Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson, Kris Dunn, and Bam Adebayo would be a solid start for a team that looks to reload instead of rebuild.
Don’t get me wrong, this certainly isn’t a blockbuster trade, but it’s one of the best moves the Chicago Bulls could make to diffuse the Dunn situation. Ryan Anderson is a quality player that has earned a less-than-stellar reputation simply because the Houston Rockets overpaid for his services.
In reality, he’s a 38 percent shooter from deep with a career 16.5 PER. An added second-round pick serves as insurance from Miami, who seemingly hands them out like candy.
As a career journeyman, Anderson has played in 46 playoff games and could provide invaluable veteran leadership for a team drowning in young and inexperienced talent. His abilities as a stretch-four would make him a great bench piece, filling the second-largest hole in the lineup as the backup power forward. Anderson’s presence would allow the Bulls to divert their full attention to the search for a starting-caliber point guard, as well as serve as a mentor for Markkanen.
The real superstar of this trade, however, is financial flexibility. With the projected cap set to spike up to $118 million in 2020, abandoning Felicio’s contract would be a massive win. Between the entire young core – Markkanen, LaVine, Porter, Carter, and Hutchison – the Bulls only have approximately $62.6 million committed to the group. This would allow Chicago to make a big splash through free agency in 2020, right when the roster is ready to enter their prime.
Each of these moves would grant the Chicago Bulls a new direction: building up more youth, adding a legitimate star, or clearing the checkbooks for a big acquisition in the future. Although the Bulls may not know what to do with Kris Dunn at the moment, it’s a good problem to have. Dunn is a talented player that perhaps hasn’t found his place in the league yet. Stay tuned this summer to see how the rest of his story unfolds.