2) Chicago Bulls early 2021 trade deadline targets
What could be a potentially more realistic early trade deadline target this year for Karnisovas and the Bulls is the still young and talented two-way 6-foot-6 point guard Lonzo Ball. The New Orleans Pelicans fourth-year 23-year-old floor general is starting to show a lot of polish in his game over the last year and a half or so.
But if the Pelicans do in fact decide to part ways with Lonzo at the trade deadline this year, the Bulls should be one of the first teams in line to see what it would take to land him. The Pelicans are both looking to trade him in the final year of his rookie contract, and just as he’s starting to find a true consistency and rhythm in his game.
The 2017-18 All-Rookie Team selection has now played in 22 games so far this season for the Pelicans (starting in all of them), and averaging around 31 minutes on the floor per game. He’s averaged 13.8 points per game, 4.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.5 blocks. Ball shot 41.9 percent from the field, a continuously improving 37.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 73.9 percent from the free-throw line.
The two-way nature of Ball’s game combined with the struggles the Bulls are having in finding a true floor general to run this team could be the main reasons why he’s a target at the deadline. If Ball wants to take his talents to a big market team in the East like the Bulls, then this could be a really solid deadline match come next month.