One last injection of assurance ahead of the NBA regular season came at the FIBA World Cup for some potential Chicago Bulls trade targets.
The Chicago Bulls are in a position to start building toward Training Camp and the coming NBA preseason slate. With the FIBA World Cup wrapped up from China earlier this month, there’s not much basketball action happening anywhere right now.
The Bulls had only two players competing in the FIBA World Cup, so watching the other NBA stars also competing was big for big time fans of this team. Those two Bulls players competing in the FIBA World Cup were former Washington Wizards guard Tomas Satoransky and big man Cristiano Felicio.
Satoransky was playing for the Czech Republic who finished in shocking fashion in sixth place. Felicio played for Brazil who just finished outside the top 10 after a second round pool play loss to the United States. Both Satoransky and Felicio ended the FIBA World Cup on a high note and were much better than anticipated heading into the festivities.
Moreover, the FIBA World Cup saw Spain overcome Argentina to win the title. The upstart France team came in third place behind a host of rising NBA players. The French could be one of the better countries in international basketball for a long time.
On the other end of the spectrum, the United States was maybe the most disappointing team along with Serbia. Team USA finished in seventh place after falling short against France in the 16-team bracket play.
But who’s got their stock rising from the FIBA World Cup that could even gain attention from teams in the NBA this season?
Here’s a look into the five definitive options the Chicago Bulls could have on the trade market that had their value rising from the FIBA World Cup in China this year.
5. Ricky Rubio
Position: Point Guard
Country: Spain
NBA Team: Phoenix Suns
Spain won the FIBA World Cup behind the efforts of the event’s MVP and newly signed Phoenix Suns point guard Ricky Rubio. As one of the leading assist getters that shot surprisingly well in the World Cup, Rubio showed the he could be starting a new chapter in his professional basketball career.
Throughout much of the latter portion of the 2018-19 regular season, the discussion for the Chicago Bulls surrounded the need to add a veteran point guard either through trade or free agency. The Bulls were somewhat able to accomplish that by signing Satoransky from the Wizards. But at one time, Rubio’s name was tossed around a lot in those discussions.
What wound up happening for Rubio in free agency was signing a big three-year contract with the Suns worth a whopping $51 million. That is a bit overpaid for Rubio, but he will be joining an improving Suns team with a solid young core. The Suns are similar to the Bulls in the sense that they want to have a veteran point guard to help build around a solid young big man and shooting guard.
If Satoransky or fellow Bulls point guard Kris Dunn don’t live up to expectations this season, could the front office be on the prowl again for a veteran floor general?
Don’t rule that possibility out as Rubio will certainly be a talked about trade candidate if the Suns start to fall off quickly in the Western Conference standings. They were one of the worst teams in the entirety of the NBA last season.
4. Cedi Osman
Position: Small Forward
Country: Turkey
NBA Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
This is where I can really dig into the roster needs for the Chicago Bulls heading into the 2019-20 regular season. The wing is a crucial part to the rotation to head coach Jim Boylen since he lacked depth there last season and it dramatically cost this team. Could Turkey’s Cedi Osman be the solution the Bulls are looking for there?
As it appears now, the Bulls have an emerging need for depth on the wing. An injury to second-year former Boise State Broncos small forward Chandler Hutchison could limit him in both Training Camp and the preseason. Since Hutchison needs all the work he can get to develop his game this year, this hamstring injury is very detrimental news.
Osman was an absolute hooper for the Turkey in the World Cup, averaging more than 20 points per game to go along with roughly three assists and three rebounds. He was also efficient when the ball was in his hands with around one turnover per game. But fouls were an issue for Osman which could translate to the playing time he gets with the Cavs this season.
Three-point shooting and off ball defense have to improve for Osman this season. He’s still young, though, and could grow as part of a very promising group of guards and wings with the Cavs. Since he has a potentially bright future as an NBA wing off the bench, Osman could help fill the void for the Bulls at the three.
3. Bogdan Bogdanovic
Position: Shooting Guard
Country: Serbia
NBA Team: Sacramento Kings
One player that really was trending up despite playing on a team in the FIBA World Cup that finished up in a disappointing spot was the Sacramento Kings shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic. He truly fits the idea of a modern wing or shooting guard in the NBA, and he put that on display in China earlier this month.
Bogdanovic played alongside Denver Nuggets star big man and potential MVP contender Nikola Jokic with the Serbian team. He took what Osman showed with Turkey and took it to a different level. Bogdanovic averaged more than 22 points per game and around four rebounds and four assists.
The efforts for Bogdanovic on the defensive end of the floor were solid too since he averaged around 1.2 steals per game. He’s a good perimeter defender that is also very versatile on the offensive end of the floor with the ball in his hands. His play in the FIBA World Cup could be foreshadowing a big leap for his third year.
Landing a player like Bogdanovic from the Kings by no means would be easy to do since he’s a young and valuable piece if he were to be in trade discussions. Nonetheless, he would check a lot of boxes off the list that the Bulls would be seeking out from a two guard that could be a sixth or seventh man in the rotation.
2. Frank Ntilikina
Position: Point Guard
Country: France
NBA Team: New York Knicks
An often discussed point guard option that the Chicago Bulls could’ve landed from the New York Knicks is a former top 10 pick from the 2017 NBA Draft, the talented but flawed Frank Ntilikina. A possible point guard swap could happen between the Bulls and the Knicks if Ntilikina were to be involved.
Many of the same problems that plagued Ntilikina with the Knicks in his first two seasons in the NBA got him with France in the FIBA World Cup. He averaged just 8.0 points per game and well under three assists. One of the highlighted parts of his game when he was drafted by the Knicks in the top 10 was his ceiling as an elite floor general (which included his vision).
Averaging almost as many turnovers per game as assists is not a good sign considering Ntilikina’s combination in the World Cup wasn’t as difficult as it is in the NBA. But he did show positive signs that weren’t there consistently in his game previous to the World Cup.
Ntilikina showed that he can be a standout perimeter defender against solid competition whenever France was playing a big game. He locked down on the United States backcourt when the French team knocked them off in the final 16-team tournament play. The ability to rise to the occasion on defense and remain more consistent shooting from the field in the second half is a new positive trend from Ntilikina.
1. Joe Ingles
Position: Small Forward
Country: Australia
NBA Team: Utah Jazz
Possibly the most realistic option on this list for the Chicago Bulls to actually trade for is the Australian Utah Jazz veteran small forward Joe Ingles. Coming up on a contract year in 2021, Ingles could get shopped by the Jazz at some point in the next two seasons.
Ingles was big for an Australia team that made it further than anticipated in the FIBA World Cup. He was a truly well rounded player averaging 10.3 points per game, 6.1 rebounds, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.4 steals. His two-way skill set is valued greatly both in international basketball and the NBA.
The three-point shooting left a lot to be desired for Ingles, but he got to the free-throw line more than he usually does in the NBA. If he can get to the charity stripe more this season, while shooting around 87.5 percent like he did in the World Cup, that is a trend that will dramatically increase his value on the wing.
As a career shooter of better than 40 percent from outside the arc, the three-point percentage of well under 30 in the World Cup might just be an outlier. He also had less space to work with compared to playing with the Jazz since he was one of Australia’s primary ball handlers.