Russell Westbrook Trade Rumors: 3 direct Chicago Bulls deals
If there is any possibility that the Chicago Bulls don’t have to give up any piece of their young core to get Russell Westbrook from the Thunder, that would be the ideal move here. The Thunder would be in complete tear-it-down and build it back up mode if general manager Sam Presti has the idea of trading Russ away too.
However, if the Bulls could manage to pry Russ and the 2019 Slam Dunk Contest winner and shooting guard Hamidou Diallo away from the Thunder for this return, it would be a fantastic move. GarPax gives up small forward Otto Porter Jr., point guard Kris Dunn, overpaid forward Cristiano Felicio, the Bulls 2020 first round pick, and a future second round pick in this package.
In this player and pick swap, the Bulls give up about the same amount of salary for the 2019-20 season as the Thunder do. The continuous problem that comes up in terms of Westbrook’s contract is the rise above $40 million by the time he is 32-years-old.
The Chicago Bulls are searching for a trade that would move point guard Kris Dunn, league sources say.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) July 1, 2019
But if the Bulls could manage to get the Thunder to take on the dead weight that comes along with Felicio’s base salary while also getting Dunn off the books, this could be a good deal. This also makes sense since the Bulls are reportedly shopping Dunn anyway after officially re-signing point guard Ryan Arcidiacono.