Chicago Bulls: Which player should be traded first at the 2020 deadline?

The Chicago Bulls are struggling to find their footing in the race to land the final spot in the playoff race in the Eastern Conference this season.

With the Chicago Bulls treading water around the 10-11 spots in the Eastern Conference standings 32 games into the 2019-20 regular season, a trade could bring an interesting narrative to the Windy City. Given that the Bulls sit with a record of 12-20 heading into an almost must-win Dec. 28 matchup against the Atlanta Hawks out of the Christmas break, should the front office be buyers or sellers on the trade block?

John Paxson and Gar Forman have a tough decision on their hands just two months out from the 2020 trade deadline. The Bulls do sit around just two games back from the Orlando Magic for the eight seed in the East. But it’s closer to a double-digit margin between the Brooklyn Nets and the Bulls for that seventh spot in the East’s playoff picture.

The Bulls are vying for that eight and final spot in the playoffs in their conference with three other teams. The Magic and Bulls are going to duke it out with the Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets for that last playoff spot in the East, at least as it appears now. All of those teams have varying situations in terms of roster construction, but could reasonably all be buyers or sellers at the deadline.

If the Bulls decide to make a big splash deal at the trade deadline, then they need to prioritize what trade chips they have to send out. Future draft assets and cash considerations shouldn’t be the only factors in play for the Bulls to make a deadline deal this season.

Here’s a look into which players the Chicago Bulls should consider dealing first if they are to think about making a trade before the deadline this season.