Chicago Bulls: How to trade for the fourth overall pick?

The New Orleans Pelicans recent haul for Anthony Davis included the fourth pick in this year’s NBA draft and the Chicago Bulls need to do whatever they can to acquire it.

Without even a full 48 hours going by, where the Toronto Raptors became NBA champions, the NBA sent shockwaves throughout the entire country now that Anthony Davis is in Los Angeles and the entire roster of young guys are in New Orleans. Both teams won the trade, even though Los Angeles gave away the entire future, including three picks, for someone who is undoubtedly a top-seven player in the NBA. How will this play into what the Chicago Bulls do on the trade market?

The New Orleans Pelicans got the players they needed to surround the eventual top pick in the draft, Zion Williamson, but rumors surfacing from multiple outlets suggest the Pelicans plan to deal the fourth pick they just received from the Lakers which begs the question, what team pulls the trigger? The Chicago Bulls are still a couple of years away from making the playoffs as the rebuild is strong as ever, and trading up for the pick makes a lot of sense to get there quicker than expected.

We can get the only argument out of the way suggesting after the first three picks, the draft is a complete question mark. Specific players may only be good in one team’s system and bad in another but the Bulls are in the position to acquire guys that can certainly turn this team around with due time. Trading away the seventh pick and a player is not, in any case, worth it but one player, in particular on this Bulls roster can be used as trade bait.

Even though Zach LaVine had a career season, he doesn’t feel like a player the front office keeps around for the entirety of his contract. The shooting guard’s athleticism and uncanny ability to get the ball in the bucket can be breathtaking, even when shots can be forced at times.

Although, on the other end of the court, he is a complete nightmare that normally sticks the worst player in the opposing team’s backcourt. Still owed $58.5 million over the next three seasons, he can be packaged with another player such as Chandler Hutchison, even if it may be a little too early to give up on the former first-round pick from a year ago.

The Bulls wouldn’t only get the pick in return, they would more than likely be forced to take on the Solomon Hill contract but it is far less than LaVine’s – by almost $7 million – and is also expiring after next season. If two players are too much, maybe a second rounder would suffice, along with LaVine instead.

Any suggestions of Wendell Carter Jr. or Lauri Markkanen being traded would and should equal a deafening slam of the phone that makes David Griffin weep for days on end, all Bulls fans likely agree.

What the front office decides to do with that fourth pick is beyond me and anyone else’s imagination, but replacing LaVine with Jarrett Culver is most enticing or if the future point guard is preferable, then Darius Garland fills that spot. Whatever the Chicago Bulls do, we will all be waiting till next year’s draft anyways.