In this deal, what is perhaps the deepest team in all of basketball gets even deeper by adding a perimeter defender and knockdown shooter.
The Milwaukee Bucks currently boast the NBA’s best record, but it is unlikely that they remain complacent at the deadline. Star power is not what the Bucks will be looking for, but rather rotational players that they can acquire for a fairly low price. Instead of making multiple trades to acquire players of different skillsets, Milwaukee can get almost all it needs by trading with Chicago.
Kris Dunn and Denzel Valentine provide polar opposite skillsets that would be incredibly valuable when it comes to winning an NBA Title. Dunn’s defensive tenacity combined with Valentine’s floor spacing and shot creation could make the difference between winning an NBA Championship and not.
The more role and specialty players that you have for a deep playoff run, the more likely you are to be successful.
Sending off a first round pick may not be the ideal price for a pair of rental players, but Milwaukee is certainly in win-now mode and will need to go all-in for the 2019-2020 season. Additionally, the fact that the Bulls would be sending two second round picks back to the Bucks would help soften the blow of losing that first rounder.
The Chicago side of the deal is a great one, as the organization would acquire a top-25 selection for two expiring deals. Although Dunn has been phenomenal for the Bulls and was once thought of as the point guard of the future, moving on from him is probably wise, as re-signing him this Summer could be tricky. Denzel Valentine is also a very solid player, but Jim Boylen has made it clear that he does not wish to utilize him in the rotation.
Ersan Ilyasova‘s role in this trade would simply be to balance out salaries, as he would likely have no future as a Bull. His contract is non-guaranteed for 2020-2021, and Chicago would be very unlikely to guarantee it. A move such as this would signal that the Bulls are sellers and uninterested in making the playoffs in 2019-2020. Rather, this transaction would signify the Bulls shifting their focus to the 2020-2021 season and hopefully getting back into the mix in the Eastern Conference.