Chicago Bulls: K.C. Johnson thinks Karnisovas should trade down

More discussion rages on around the media landscape as to what the Chicago Bulls should do with the fourth pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

With the NBA Draft a little more than three weeks away, the Chicago Bulls are really starting to ramp into high gear to put together their plan for the night of Nov. 18. The Bulls have the fourth overall pick in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft. They also boast the 44th overall pick in the second round of the draft (originally from the Memphis Grizzlies).

So much uncertainty looms as to what prospects will be picked in which order in the top five, especially compared to last year’s draft. In the 2019 NBA Draft, it was clear the Zion Williamson and Ja Morant were going in the top two in that order. This year, we don’t know if it will be point guard LaMelo Ball, shooting guard Anthony Edwards, center James Wiseman, wing Deni Avdija, etc. as the first player off the board in this draft.

One option for the Bulls with the fourth overall pick in this draft is trading up or down to put themselves in a more advantageous spot heading into the fourth year of the rebuild. And according to an opinion piece from K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago this week, the former Chicago Tribune writer thinks it could be best for the Bulls to trade down.

Johnson makes the case that Arturas Karnisovas should trade down for the Bulls to snag a player like point guard Tyrese Haliburton or shooting guard/wing Devin Vassell later in the lottery. His case does make sense in stating that a lot of the more relevant Bulls targets in the lottery could be found around picks eight or 10.

Unless Karnisovas can work his way into the top three without giving up too much, then trading down does make some sense. Adding a piece like Vassell would be good for this Bulls rebuild in terms of filling a positional need and adding a versatile offensive piece.

There is a chance that a player like Wiseman and/or Ball falls to the Bulls. Avdija could also be an interesting fit if Karnisovas likes what he brings to the table. The unknowns surrounding the strong international pool of prospects in this draft class make it really difficult what to do about players like Avdija and point guard Killian Hayes.

Karnisovas does have a difficult job to do this offseason in terms of figuring out what the best path forward is for the Bulls with the fourth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. The good news is that there are more good options than bad at Karnisovas’ disposal.