If landing D’Angelo Russell from the Warriors meant that the Chicago Bulls had to give up more than the equivalent value of Ben Simmons, is it worth it?
An up and down start to the 2019-20 regular season for the Chicago Bulls will bring about question as to what direction the front office should lean for the trade deadline. If the Bulls truly feel like making a run to a lower seed in the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference is doable and worth it, then they could still be buyers at the trade deadline. But the more realistic option at this point is for John Paxson and Gar Forman to go ahead and make the Bulls sellers.
However, the Bulls need to have a plan to improve this roster in what is a thin free agency class next offseason either way. If that means the Bulls essentially play the role of a buyer at the trade deadline, then so be it. The 2019 free agency class was special, but the Bulls really only made two impactful signings.
One player that would be worth the Bulls dishing out younger players and future draft assets for is star Golden State Warriors guard D’Angelo Russell. Recent trade discussions talk a lot about where the best landing spot would be for D-Lo if the Warriors ultimately decide to trade him.
Just published on https://t.co/LIiDCynK7i: @coachthorpe plays with the trade machine. Karl-Anthony Towns, Kevin Love, Myles Turner, Andre Drummond etc.
— Henry Abbott (@TrueHoop) January 7, 2020
At the end, there's an interesting @BenSimmons25 idea--not really doable until summer--that I can't stop thinking about. pic.twitter.com/9vg3jMRsKX
The recent trade idea that is being floated around the NBA media and fan circles is the Warriors sending D-Lo to the Philadelphia 76ers for a return of star 6-foot-10 point guard Ben Simmons. NBC Sports recently released a piece on why this trade deal might actually intrigue the Sixers, despite it looking to really favor the Warriors on the surface.
Russell could actually give the Sixers some floor spacing and Simmons would be a great fit with the Warriors once their superstar backcourt gets healthier. So this trade deal does make sense to some degree when you dig deeper.
But if the Warriors don’t wind up pulling off a deal like the one mentioned recently with the Sixers, then another team like the Bulls could get involved. Since this trade does still benefit the Warriors more than the Sixers, there’s a good chance that it wouldn’t happen even if both teams were in discussions for a D-Lo package.
Moreover, the Bulls don’t really have any single player that would offer as much trade value to the Warriors as Simmons would from the Sixers. Shooting guard Zach LaVine and power forward Lauri Markkanen could technically be good fits on the Warriors. But the latter should fit much better than the former if this is what the Bulls were looking to do.
If the Bulls were actually going to formulate a trade deal with the Warriors to get guard help, in the former of D-Lo, then they have to figure out who Golden State will take. Matching contracts is difficult with D-Lo, so the Bulls might have to include the likes of small forward Otto Porter Jr.
Package together OPJ along with someone else who has less money along with them, and the Warriors might have traction in trade talks. The Bulls shouldn’t mind starting over at the wing if it means landing D-Lo. And they should be happier giving up guard depth too if they can pair something like D-Lo in the starting backcourt with rookie point guard Coby White.