2. Portland Trail Blazers
The final two teams on this list that could be potential trade destinations for Valentine and the Chicago Bulls are both trying to stay alive in the playoff race in the Western Conference. The first of those two teams is the Portland Trail Blazers.
There’s only so much that a lack of wind depth alongside the star backcourt duo of point guard Damian Lillard and shooting guard C.J. McCollum will do for the Blazers in a deep and young West this season. With veteran small forward Rodney Hood out for the season due to injury, the Blazers need to find answers elsewhere.
Could the Bulls provide that to the Blazers in the form of Valentine?
If the Blazers had other players that they could look to on the wings for a reliable scoring presence, then it could maximize the skill set that Valentine brings to the table. Head coach Terry Stotts wouldn’t be asking Valentine to do too much. But the poor defense Valentine plays at times could hurt an already bad Blazers team on that end of the floor.
Moreover, matching salaries should not be an issue for the Blazers since they have a number of pieces they could move to bring Valentine to Portland. A name like rookie small forward Nassir Little or the former first round draft pick and breakthrough power forward Skal Labissiere could bring a lot of value for the Bulls.