There’s a number of sources the Chicago Bulls could turn to fill multiple positional needs down the stretch before this year’s trade deadline.
Since the Chicago Bulls really have two overarching positional needs heading into the halfway point of the regular season, their needs for the trade deadline are pretty clear. What is not clear yet, though, is whether John Paxson and Gar Forman are leaning toward the role of buyers or sellers at the trade deadline.
If the Bulls do plan in staying in the playoff hunt in the Eastern Conference for the remainder of the regular season, then they could really use help on the wing. The Bulls had second-year small forward Chandler Hutchison just return to the rotation for the Jan. 4 home loss to the Boston Celtics, by the final score of 111-104. At least Hutch is back in the mix now.
Yet, the Bulls look to be without the former Washington Wizards small forward Otto Porter Jr. at least until the All-Star Break. OPJ played in only nine games so far this with what is apparently a hairline fracture in his foot. Hutchison just finally reached the double-digit games played mark this season.
Where the Bulls could look for wing help is at the trade market. With the trade deadline exactly one month away, the potential targets that the Bulls should be looking into are likely already being scouted and discussed.
A player that seems like a good forward that can also play on the wing to look into for GarPax is the Wizards towering 6-foot-10 breakthrough Latvian Davis Bertans. The Wizards are making good use out of Bertans this season, but he’s not on a talented team in the slightest.
The Bulls might not be able to make better use out of Bertans to keep his stat line ultra efficient, but they could get him closer to the playoffs than the Wizards could. The 27-year-old forward that is averaging 15.4 points per game, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists while shooting 44.9 percent from the field and 43.4 percent from beyond the arc started out with a magical 2019-20 regular season
While Bertans would get most of his minutes on the floor at power forward if he lands with any team not named the Wizards, he can actually play on the wing. The underrated mobility, two-way skill set, and outside shooting ability of Bertans makes him directly comparable to a small forward instead of a power forward.
Bertans did see a slight dip in his three-point shooting numbers of late. But a dip that still places a forward of his size above 43 percent from three-point range is a testament to how well he played throughout most of the season in his set role.
He is also one of the few Wizards players this season to have racked up more than two win shares already.
However, if the Wizards do decide to shop Bertans, then the Bulls should be one of the teams calling right away. Bertans does have a frame and skill set that fits closely to that of Bulls third-year power forward Lauri Markkanen, but they are still different where it counts. Bertans is shooting much better from range this season, and he could play at the three or the four while Lauri is at the four or the five.
Depending on where the Wizards see Bertans’ stock trending ahead of when they traded him, the Bulls could get him at a decent value. If the Wizards traded him earlier this season, when he was shooting better than 45 percent from three-point range, then he would’ve commanded a much bigger return than he does now.