Would there be any reason for the Chicago Bulls to reach out to the Pelicans to see how available a Lonzo Ball trade is this offseason?
Entering the 2020 offseason, the Chicago Bulls looked to be in a tough spot heading into the fourth year of their lengthy rebuild. But the Bulls made the necessary moves within this organization from the top-down to inspire some confidence from the fan base and in the media to believe they could actually be headed in the right direction entering the 2020-21 season.
The Bulls already made the moves to part ways with now former head coach Jim Boylen, which was a move more than one year int he making. They also hired former Denver Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas to replace John Paxson as the lead voice in the front office. And Karnisovas hired former Philadelphia 76ers senior VP of player personnel Marc Eversley to replace Gar Forman as the Bulls next general manager.
But as the Bulls are in the midst of a coaching search and continue to figure out the internal workings of the front office and scouting department, how do they reshape the roster construction? It can start with landing the fourth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. The Bulls had to jump up three spots in the draft lottery to get the fourth overall pick in the first round.
They also hold the Memphis Grizzlies second round pick, which will fall 44th overall.
There’s also a few decent trade partners that the Bulls could try and get in discussions with. One that sticks out from the Western Conference is the New Orleans Pelicans. Between potential trade pieces like point guards Jrue Holiday and Lonzo Ball, shooting guard J.J. Redick, and small forward Brandon Ingram, there’s a lot to work with for a team like the Bulls.
And according to Jay Williams of ESPN over the weekend, the Pelicans could be utilizing Ball as a trade asset in talks this offseason to try and build around rookie forward Zion Williamson.
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This would be big news since the Los Angeles Lakers shopped Ball last offseason to get superstar big man Anthony Davis out to southern California. If Ball is on the move again this offseason, his next landing spot would need to be one he sticks at for a while.
Could the Bulls be an option for him?
It would certainly add some intrigue on the trade market, since there was that discussion last offseason that the Bulls were going to send shooting guard Zach LaVine and the seventh pick to the Pelicans for Ball and the fourth pick. And Ball actually had a solid inaugural season in a Pelicans uniform.
In 63 games played (54 of which he started in) Ball averaged 11.8 points per game, 6.1 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.6 blocks. He shot 40.3 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from beyond the arc, and 56.6 percent from the free-throw line.
That amounted to a 0.6 box plus/minus rating, 1.3 value over replacement player rating, 2.4 total win shares, and a career-best 51.7 true shooting percentage. Given the improvements that Ball saw on the offensive end of the floor, especially with his outside shooting, the Bulls should give real consideration to a Ball trade if the Pelicans don’t have a huge asking price.
Ball would not only provide a new two-way guard in the Bulls thin backcourt rotation, he could take some of the playmaking pressure off of the likes of point guard Coby White and LaVine. The Bulls would be wise to at least check in with the Pelicans and see what they are asking in return from the Pelicans for Ball.
The Bulls finished up the 2019-20 season with a record of 22-43. They will have a very new look squad in terms of the front office and coaching staff, at the very least, come the start of the 2020-21 season.