How could a potential trade package work out between the Sacramento Kings and Chicago Bulls involving 6-foot-4 shooting guard Buddy Hield?
Trade rumors caught wind with two big names around the NBA since the trade deadline ended. Between star center Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers and shooting guard Buddy Hield of the Sacramento Kings, trade discussions got pretty interesting in the days following the 2020 deadline (Feb. 6). This will give rebuilding teams like the Chicago Bulls new potential trade targets entering the 2020 offseason.
Yet, maybe the most intriguing of the potential trade targets that could emerge for the Bulls during the coming offseason that sits in speculation mode thus far is Hield. The thought of what the Bulls could do with a backcourt rotation of the future that encompass Hield alongside rookie 6-foot-5 point guard Coby White and 6-foot-6 shooting guard Zach LaVine could be very promising.
But if Hield was to hit the trade block, then there would definitely be other suitors that jump into discussions. Hield is one of the better shooters in the NBA today, and his type of skill set definitely wouldn’t go without a ton of attention around the entire league in trade conversations.
What caused this rumor mill to churn surrounding Hield’s situation with the Kings was the reported displeasure he has in his role with the team this season. Apparently Hield could be forced into demanding a trade this summer if the Kings don’t get him into a more desirable situation by season’s end.
Here’s a look into the four possible offseason trade packages that the Chicago Bulls could piece together with the slipping Sacramento Kings this year to get former Oklahoma Sooners shooting guard Buddy Hield.
If both parties here are open to pulling off a sign-and-trade deal this offseason, then this could be the most realistic of the four possible trade packages mentioned on this list. The Chicago Bulls would be sending veteran power forward Thaddeus Young, 6-foot-7 combo guard Tomas Satoransky, and point guard Kris Dunn to the Kings to land Hield and veteran point guard Cory Joseph.
The difficult part about pulling off a sign-and-trade deal here is the fact that Dunn is a restricted free agent this summer. Dunn is in the midst of the final year of his rookie contract, but the way he played this season in a newfound defensive stopper role off the bench made his value skyrocket compared to where it was at last offseason.
Get him at a reasonable price tag, and he could be a great addition to this Kings backcourt rotation that couldn’t seem to figure anything out over the course of the last two years. There is so much talent in the Kings backcourt, but maybe a more refined role player like Dunn could help this group find some direction in the coming years.
Dunn leads the NBA in steal rate this season, and Young isn’t too shabby on both ends of the floor either. Both are also very tradeable contracts if neither was to work out in Sacramento. Sato is a good replacement that the Kings could get since they would need to bring back some depth at the one or the two with the losses of Hield and Joseph.
This is the most interesting of the four trade packages on this list since the Kings and Chicago Bulls would both be parting ways with a good portion of each team’s young core. But both the Bulls and Kings need to re-shape a lot of parts of their franchises heading into the offseason. For the Kings, that could taking shape for the future with power forward Lauri Markkanen and LaVine.
The good part about this trade packages is that a handful of players that need a change of scenery get to do so. For the Kings, really the only part of this trade package that has a piece very much worth retaining by now is former Duke Blue Devils forward/center Marvin Bagley. Fellow former Duke big man Harry Giles could also be on the move soon.
The swap that involves sending LaVine to the Kings for Hield makes sense since the Bulls are essentially also getting Giles and a future first round draft pick in return. And landing Bagley in exchange for Markkanen looks to make sense on the surface for both sides. Bagley is a tremendous young big man that could be a star down the road if he’s able to stay healthy for the next year or two.
Salary matching is fairly easy here since LaVine and Hield will have roughly equal contract sizes after this season. Hield has that poison pill provision that will make him worth around $18-19 million at the conclusion of the 2019-20 regular season.
This is interesting also since the Kings were the team that seemed to be the biggest threat to snag LaVine from the Bulls when they had the chance to match his offer sheet two years ago.
In this framework, the Chicago Bulls have a pretty easy trade between them and the Kings. But the Kings would really have to buy into what small forward Otto Porter Jr. brings to the table compared to the value they get out of Hield. OPJ struggled to stay healthy so far this season, so his stock might be down heading into the summer months.
However, the Bulls would have the advantage of using OPJ to fill the Kings wing depth need. That rings especially true if the Kings dump off shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic at some point within the next calendar year. Bogdanovic is one of a number of Kings players that appear to be on the trade block heading into the offseason, along with Hield and power forward Nemanja Bjelica.
The Bulls get to add frontcourt depth by also landing center Richaun Holmes, who is having a solid 2019-20 campaign with the Kings. In exchange for Holmes, the Kings get to replace some of their outside shooting after the loss of Hield with the former Villanova Wildcats sharpshooting and grinding point guard Ryan Arcidiacono.
Holmes will have one year left on his current contract when the Kings would trade him to the Bulls. And they would get rid of Hield’s contract before it would seemingly weigh them down when they put him in a poor role to maximize his skill set. If the Bulls let go of head coach Jim Boylen anytime soon and make some changes in the front office, then this move could work well.
A big addition to this trade package for the Chicago Bulls is the second-year former Boise State Broncos small forward Chandler Hutchison. Young might be on his way out of the Windy City either way and OPJ’s price tag is very large. At least the two players the Bulls would be getting from the Kings tend to remain healthier than the wings they’re giving up, including small forward Harrison Barnes.
The obvious reason why this trade would be dicey for the Bulls would be the loss of wing depth. Replacing OPJ and Hutch with Barnes and Hield means that the Bulls aren’t getting more than one true wing. And Barnes isn’t any sort of reliable from what he’s showed since leaving the Golden State Warriors more than three years ago.
At least the Bulls do get off the money of OPJ if they are going to be bringing in the contract of Barnes that will be worth more than $25 million for next season. OPJ also carries a heftier than preferred price tag considering he hasn’t been healthy all that much since he landed in the Windy City.
The shooting ability of Hield and the two-way skill set of Barnes do help the Bulls get an upgrade at least at one position. They can also work lineups in together that feature both Hield and LaVine. One of those two could play on the wing when the Bulls are looking to stretch the floor more often.
This trade framework is volatile for both parties, but could also carry a large reward on each side.