Chicago Bulls: 3 possible trade targets to watch in Conference Finals

3) Chicago Bulls trade targets to watch in conference finals: Marcus Smart

The Celtics have a captivating core that they are building up, and two young stars they’re building around, to try and push their contender status in the East. But one of the pieces of this team that is commonly overlooked among the more integral parts of the rotation is the defensive standout guard and former Oklahoma State Cowboy Marcus Smart.

During the 2019-20 season, Smart started to show more aptitude to producing on the offensive end of the floor. But we already know that Smart is one of the best defensive guards in the NBA He just received his second straight All-Defensive First-Team honors for the 2019-20 season.

To get that, Smart played in 60 games during the 2019-20 regular season (starting in 40 of them). He averaged a career-best 12.9 points per game, 3.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.5 blocks. Smart shot 37.5 percent from the field, 34.7 percent from beyond the arc, and 83.6 percent from the free-throw line.

Smart would be a great replacement for the Bulls this offseason if they do in fact decide to part ways with the former Providence Friars and Minnesota Timberwolves 6-foot-4 point guard Kris Dunn in restricted free agency. He is essentially a more complete version of Dunn, and more offensively adept at this point.

That presence that Smart could give the Bulls in the locker room as a true winner in the playoffs from his run with the Celtics this year would be huge. There have been whispers about Smart as a potential trade target this season too (latest per Tim Bontemps of ESPN).