Recent reports indicate that the Chicago Bulls could inquire as to the trade availability of the Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball.
The NBA Lottery tonight is clearly a franchise-changing event for the Chicago Bulls, but possibly even more than first thought. If the rumor has any truth to it, it is very possible that the Bulls do not have a first round pick in 2019, a very different outcome than expected by many. One outcome could involve a very controversial player, Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball.
In a previous article, I stated my opinion on a possible trade and point guard swap between Chicago and Los Angeles, where Lonzo Ball and the Lakers’ 2019 first round pick are sent to Chicago in exchange for Kris Dunn and the Bulls’ 2019 first round pick.
This scenario would be possibly beneficial for Chicago if the team were to have a pick outside of the top three, as the talent pool after the third pick plateaus significantly. However, the rumor reported by Crowley stated that the team would be interested in moving their pick if it was outside of the top two.
If Chicago moves up to third overall, there is no way they should move on from the pick, as they would have the opportunity to select either R.J. Barrett, Ja Morant, or Zion Williamson. This rumor, if true, would mean that the Bulls are “boom or bust” on Morant and Williamson. Although these two would make the most sense for Chicago, picking Barrett at the third would be a phenomenal victory for Chicago. The team would be foolish to disregard him and trade the pick at three.
If the Chicago Bulls stay at the fourth spot or slide further back, then a Lonzo Ball trade could be considered, but with great caution. Ball, although still just 21, is injury riddled and showed no sophomore stride in his game. He is certainly not worthy of a top-ten selection straight up, however, a package for the pick could be a viable option for the Bulls.
Perhaps the Lakers’ 2019 first round pick (projected to be 11th overall) or one of their young players could be packaged with Ball to move up in the draft. Again, this wold only be a viable situation if the Bulls fail to obtain a top-three selection in June’s draft and the team felt that there was no better option at their draft position.
The notion that there are no options for Chicago in the draft outside of the top three is a very wrong one. Indeed, the talent significantly drops off, but this does not mean that the Bulls can’t find a great player outside of this threshold. In many articles I have expressed by affinity for Vanderbilt’s Darius Garland, who if not picked by Chicago at four, could slip to as far as 12.
This should give the Bulls some comfort in the worst-case-scenario that they slide past four, as the team would likely have the opportunity to take the player that they would have taken at their originally slated fourth spot anyways.
Lonzo Ball is a very good player who would certainly be a major piece of Chicago’s rebuild if he were to be shipped to Chicago. However, he is not worth a top three pick at all, nor a top-ten pick straight up. The Bulls should not go into panic mode and move the pick if it is not top-two, but rather be patient and grow organically.