Chicago Bulls: 3 reasons why they should trade for James Harden

2) Why Chicago Bulls could make sense for Harden

Cap space next year to work with

Next offseason is where Karnisovas, Eversley, and the Bulls could really shine in the free agent market. The Bulls don’t have a lot of cap space to work with as it stands now in the current offseason, but there’s a lot that comes off the books after the 2020-21 season. Most notably, veteran small forward Otto Porter Jr. could be gone after he picked up his player option for one more year on Nov. 15.

The highly coveted and fruitful free agent class of 2021 is something that Karnisovas and Eversley should really be working to appeal to. The Bulls current image and standing around the NBA isn’t too good. But a lot of the image that was shaped for the Bulls over the course of the last 15 years was a product of GarPax and former general manager Jerry Krause.

Maybe a more functional front office regime could be exactly what the Bulls need to appeal to a broader base of stars and finally sign one off the free agent market. What would also be a driving force for the Bulls to improve their standing with the impending free agent stars of next offseason would be having a superstar like Harden to play with.

The Bulls don’t currently hold that appeal with contender status in the current offseason, or anything close to it of late. Landing Harden in a trade this offseason would completely change the game for where they stand heading into the 2020-21 season. The 2021 free agent class which includes superstars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and more could have more interest in the Bulls (with all of their cap room that looks to be available next offseason) if Harden is playing in Chicago.