If John Paxson and Gar Forman are truly looking to start all over, then dishing out a franchise cornerstone like the Chicago Bulls third-year power forward Lauri Markkanen might be a requirement. Aldridge could get the Bulls over the hump into the playoffs in the short term, but he’s currently 34-years-old.
The Spurs send veteran small forward DeMarre Carroll to help add to the Bulls wing depth. Since former Washington Wizards small forward Otto Porter Jr. is still out with the hairline foot fracture he’s dealing with, the Bulls really need Carroll to add to the rotational depth under head coach Jim Boylen.
This is more of a quick fix for the Bulls since Aldridge isn’t going to be a face of the franchise over the long haul. But his money stays on the books for around the same amount of time as OPJ (two years) but the salary is actually lower. And getting a future first round pick back for the exchange of Markkanen softens the blow of losing a franchise cornerstone.
What Aldridge could do is help the Bulls also develop second-year center Wendell Carter Jr. His floor spacing ability could push the development of WCJ in that same direction.
The Spurs also get a solid defensive stopper at point guard in Kris Dunn for good measure. OPJ is mainly inserted into this trade deal for salary matching purposes. But landing OPJ and Dunn seem like a good fit under head coach Gregg Popovich.