If the Chicago Bulls wanted to make a big splash trade to pull LaMarcus Aldridge from the San Antonio Spurs, what would it take in return?
The ongoing saga surrounding the poor play of the Chicago Bulls against teams with a winning record this season has to be wearing down the fan base. There’s almost no chance it seems that the Bulls are going to beat anyone good, other than that one miraculous win over the Los Angeles Clippers at home at the United Center earlier this season. That is the sole win that the Bulls have over a team with a winning record so far this season.
On Jan. 20, the Central Division foe Milwaukee Bucks handed the Bulls another loss from a great team with a winning record. The Bulls hung tough against superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in the first half, like usual, but saw their divisional opponent put them away down the stretch. That 111-98 loss to the Bucks moved the Bulls to a record of 16-29 on the season so far.
So what should the Bulls front office do about this losing trend that seems so difficult for them to shake?
At this point really the only try the Bulls front office could have is land a star that is also a proven winner. The Bulls need a veteran push that can help them out for at least a couple years, and hitting the trade market could be the way to do that.
A name that is very intriguing that sits in the midst of a ton of trade rumors ahead of the 2020 deadline is the San Antonio Spurs star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge. Since he’s still managing to improve his game this season, Aldridge could be a good trade target given the right framework for the Bulls.
Here’s a look into three possible trade packages that the Chicago Bulls could put together if they want to land power forward LaMarcus Aldridge from the San Antonio Spurs.
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.
The Chicago Bulls send off another piece that would possibly help him start anew in this trade package. Shooting guard Denzel Valentine needs that change of scenery since he’s not getting much of any playing time with the Bulls this season. Valentine could be a good fit with the Spurs since they value outside shooting and the ability to space the floor on offense.
All that Valentine is really good at is facilitating an offense off the bench and reliably hitting his open spot-up looks from three-point range. Granted he does have the ability to create his own shots. That’s not something that a lot of other players on the Bulls roster can say at this point of the regular season.
The Bulls also send the Spurs a future second round draft pick for good measure. There’s no addition to what the Bulls receive here outside of Aldridge. Sacrificing wing depth comes at a cost since the Bulls have to let go of OPJ and Valentine, but neither is really playing for Boylen at the moment.
OPJ is once again the main focal point of this trade package. The Bulls really need him included in this trade talks to match the salaries for both teams. The Spurs could do a lot with OPJ, but he has to get back from the foot fracture first. Once we get closer to the 2020 trade deadline, that will be closer to the OPJ return, though.
In an absolute blockbuster of a three team trade deal that involves the Chicago Bulls, Spurs, and Detroit Pistons, plenty of stars are on the move. The Pistons get star shooting guard Zach LaVine from the Bulls, along with veteran forward Thaddeus Young. The Spurs also send the Pistons shooting guard Lonnie Walker IV.
Since Young isn’t getting his desired role with the Bulls this season, he gets moved to the Pistons to try and contribute more so in the framework he thought he’d be in the Windy City. Maybe the Motor City can offer more to Thad than the Windy City did with Boylen this season.
However, the Bulls are definitely taking a big risk by sending LaVine to the Pistons. They get a return that includes Aldridge from the Spurs and rookie forward Sekou Doumbouya and shooting guard Luke Kennard in this trade package. This trade package has the most moving parts to it of the three, and it definitely shows the difficulty to which the Bulls would have in landing Aldridge.
But it could be worth it for the Bulls to snag Aldridge if it means finally moving this franchise in the right direction. Aldridge could help develop the young roster, and landing pieces like Kennard and Doumbouya could reset the rebuild to some degree.
On the final end of the spectrum, the Spurs receive standout center Andre Drummond and seven-footer power forward Thon Maker from the Pistons.