Chicago Bulls: 3 trades to get Lonzo Ball from the Pelicans

1) Chicago Bulls trades with the Pels for Lonzo Ball

There’s a lot of movement going on in the Bulls frontcourt rotation at the moment. A combination of inconsistent play from the frontcourt rotation off the bench, and more injury problems in that portion of the starting five, has caused this turbulent run for Donovan’s bigs. That list of injury problems in the Bulls frontcourt rotation could now start with the third-year center Wendell Carter Jr.

At this moment, it looks like WCJ will be out for at least the next three weeks with a nagging lower-body injury issue.

WCJ was playing well for the Bulls prior to this latest injury concern. In 14 games played for the Bulls so far this season (all of which he’s started in), WCJ averaged 12.8 points per game, 8.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.6 blocks. And he’s shot 53.3 percent from the field, 26.7 percent from beyond the arc, and 72.6 percent from the free-throw line.

With two years left on his rookie contract, WCJ could still bring a lot of bargaining power to the table in potential trade talks for Karnisovas and the Bulls. He would be intertwined with Sato in this particular trade package, to help match salaries with the Pels.

In return, the Bulls get the likes of combo guard Josh Hart and Ball from the Pels. This could help to dramatically boost the Bulls backcourt rotation, while not putting much stress at all on their cap sheet. If Ball is willing to negotiate a decent contract for the Bulls to keep him around in the Windy City for a bit longer beyond next offseason, this trade deal could be worth it for both sides.