2) Chicago Bulls trades to get Aaron Gordon
This particular trade package would involve more big time moving pieces between the Bulls and Magic, and would likely immediately become one of the most notable trades to happen all year if it did actually occur. In this deal, the Bulls would be sending the likes of WCJ, overpaid but useful veteran small forward Otto Porter Jr., and lengthy combo guard Tomas Satoransky.
In return, the Bulls would be getting a true standout frontcourt pairing between Gordon and the 30-year-old Swiss 6-foot-11 and 260 pound center Nikola Vucevic. This hypothetical player exchange between the Magic and Bulls would get Donovan immediate relief in the frontcourt, and a true modern big man to help build the offense around.
Vucevic is one of the underrated gems that could hit the trade block in the near future. While he did sign a big contract with the Magic last season (worth north of $75 million over the course of the next three years), if there’s a team that could better utilizes his unique skill set then he could definitely be worth the money.
One thing is for sure; that the Bulls would get more bang for their buck out of having Vucevic as the largest contract on the cap sheet than OPJ. Sato and WCJ help to salary match with Gordon in this trade deal, and OPJ matches pretty close with Vucevic.
This is a lot for the Bulls to give up in terms of losing wing depth and a key piece of their young core in the way of WCJ. But it could be worth it if the new front office and coaching staff feels that it is a nice fit that helps them win over the next few years.