Sign guard D’Angelo Russell to 4-year, $104 million deal
This is where the “ideal” part of the article comes in. It has been rumored that the Nets are hesitant to give D’Angelo Russell max-level money and that the franchise has their eyes on bigger fish such as Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, and Kyrie Irving. If this is the case, the Chicago Bulls would be wise to throw big money at Russell and see if the Nets decide to match.
Acquiring Russell from Brooklyn would be massive for the Bulls, as the team would receive a 23-year-old All-Star at the biggest positional need. A player like Russell could take the Bulls out of the lottery and into the playoff picture.
Russell would thrive on a team with athletic, young players who are on the same timeline as he is. Russell is without question worth spending big money on for the Bulls, and the team should do so as soon as he hits the restricted-free agent market.
(Russell’s salary in 2019: $23 million)