Chicago Bulls: 3 veterans worth trading the 7th pick for

With Anthony Davis almost certainly set to depart New Orleans via trade before the 2019-20 campaign begins, the Chicago Bulls have the rare opportunity to strike while the iron is hot on one of the best guards in the league in Jrue Holiday.

With no true rebuilding pieces aside from the newly acquired number one overall draft pick, the Pelicans will look to move both Davis and Holiday for the best package available. Swapping the seventh pick in a weak draft for a known commodity that will help make the Bulls’ current pieces a better and more cohesive team is a bargain worth pursuing.

Holiday is a great ball distributor, something the Bulls have been sorely missing. Last year, Holiday posted an assist percentage of 31.8 percent and a turnover percentage of 14.1. Statistically speaking, Holiday rates out as a better playmaker than other highly touted passers (and Bulls’ targets) Ricky Rubio and Lonzo Ball. Holiday presents a perfect blend of scoring, passing and defensive abilities that will perfectly complement Chicago’s incumbent shooting guard Zach LaVine.

Consider this, 36-year-old Chris Paul will be getting paid 44 million dollars in 2022. John Wall will be receiving a 46 million dollar payday that same year, even if it means he has to go out on the court in a wheelchair. Putting that in perspective, doesn’t the youthful backcourt duo of LaVine and Holiday at the same collective price tag sound all the more delicious?

As the modern NBA shifts further and further towards ‘positionless basketball,’ there may be great value in having two agile guards that can share the ball on one possession and morph into a pure scorer the next. That level of versatility is extremely difficult to plan for and would be invaluable if the rebuild is successful and the Bulls return to contention.

As a former All-Star and All-Defensive Team member, Holiday has the intangibles and basketball IQ to mentor and help elevate LaVine’s game to the next level. With the right scheme in place, a team that starts five above average shooters and plus defenders could threaten even the best of teams on any given night. Considering Jim Boylen’s San Antonio roots, he’d likely love to implement a pass-heavy and gritty defensive culture in Chicago.

If the front office decides to pull the trigger on any big acquisitions, Bulls fans can take solace in the fact that many opportunities presented itself this summer. If all goes according to plan, perhaps the Bulls can make out with another highway robbery of a trade and leave their recent struggles in the past.