2019 NBA Draft: Should the Chicago Bulls trade up, down or stay put?

The 2019 NBA Draft is rapidly approaching. What’s the best strategy for the Chicago Bulls? Should they trade up, trade down or stay put?

Thanks to some bad luck with ping pong balls, the Chicago Bulls find themselves in an unenvious position. The bottom line is the Bulls are in need of serious help. What’s the best way for them to get the help they desperately need?

The simplest thing to do is to stay put in the draft and select whoever is at the top of their list when they’re on the clock. But as various teams have shown NBA fans in the past, sometimes the best move is to be mobile in the draft, whether that means moving up or down.

Trading up usually requires parting ways with multiple assets in hopes of landing a single player of higher value. Trading down, on the other hand, often means gaining multiple assets of lesser value in return for your pick.

I’m generally not a fan of trading down, even in this supposedly “weak” draft. If the Bulls were going to trade down, though, Kevin Porter Jr., Ty Jerome and Nickeil Alexander-Walker are all qualified dudes to target. I like all three of those guys, but coming away with one of them as the prize from the horrendous 2018-19 season would be pretty disappointing.

Trading up is a little more interesting. Would the Lakers be willing to part with the No. 4 pick? What about the Cavs at No. 5? A lot could change before June 20.

If the Bulls could move into the top-5, it would virtually guarantee them the chance to take Darius Garland or Coby White. The possibility of landing Garland or White is pretty exciting. Both guys have sky-high offensive ceilings. Is the option of drafting one of those two guys worth trading up for, though?

That’s impossible to answer right now. It all depends how far the Bulls are moving up and what the other team is demanding in return.

Trading up would hint at a sense of urgency from the Bulls’ front office. The patient move would be to stay put at No.7, see how things shake up and take the best player they can. The 2020 NBA Draft class is going to be loaded with good point guards, so there’s no shame in waiting a year.

Still, I understand why some fans are demanding the Bulls be more aggressive this year. Chicago basketball has a rich, successful history and Bulls fans are anxious to get back to their winning ways.

If the Bulls decide to trade up, great. I get it. If they decide to stay put, fine. If they end up trading down, well… I suppose I’d get over it.

The most important thing is making good decisions with the pick they end up with. Maybe that’s a top-5 pick, maybe it’s their No. 7 pick or maybe it’s a pick in the 10-20 range. Regardless of where the pick is, whether or not the Bulls have a successful draft will be based on who they pick when they’re on the clock.

No pressure, Bulls. (Just kidding. Lots of pressure, Bulls.)