1. Wendell Carter Jr., Center
With the way he’s showed his progression through the first six games of the regular season, the former Duke Blue Devils center and second-year Chicago Bulls big man Wendell Carter Jr. should be a very hot commodity if he were considered in any possible trade package.
WCJ is averaging 13.7 points per game, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks. He’s doing that while posting a 123 offensive rating and getting to the free-throw line nearly twice as many times per game as he did as a rookie. The truly remarkable true shooting percentage he’s registered through six games, around 62 percent, is a commendable statement to the strides he’s made in his second-year in the NBA.
With all that in mind, Carter Jr. looks to be a budding star big man in this league and would draw a lot of attention if he were to hit the trade block. Granted it would make little to no sense for GarPax to consider him in trade discussions off the top. The fact that he’s only in his second-year and looking like a true franchise cornerstone would mean that a star haul would need to come back to the Windy City if he’s involved in a trade package.
Carter Jr. is one of the three seventh overall NBA Draft picks for the Bulls from each of the last three years that occupy three of the top four spots on this list. The Bulls are drafting well, which should be a good sign for this rebuild in its third-year. WCJ is developing at a rapid rate and could be one of the better big men in the East before too long.