2) Chicago Bulls pieces to trade for Lonzo
Luke Kornet, Center
As far as salary matching and/or roster attrition are concerned as we near the trade deadline next month, the former Vanderbilt Commodores seven-footer and Bulls second-year big man Luke Kornet could now be a name to watch. Kornet started out his still young NBA career with the New York Knicks back during the 2017-18 season.
And after Kornet’s role with the Knicks peaked in his final year in New York City (in 2018-19), his minutes with any team started to decline from then on out. He got a decent amount of playing time under former head coach Jim Boylen with the Bulls last season. But it took a plethora of injury issues to emerge in the Bulls frontcourt rotation for Donovan to give him any sort of significant minutes this season.
So far this season, Kornet has played in just six games for the Bulls (starting in none of them), averaging around just seven minutes on the floor per game. And he’s averaged 1.5 points per game, 1.5 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.2 blocks. Kornet shot an inefficient 21.4 percent from the field, 9.1 percent from beyond the arc, and was perfect on two attempts from the free-throw line.
Moreover, there should still be a market for a big man that has the potential to stroke it from downtown and protect the rim, for a complete value price tag, such as Kornet. And with the Pelicans needing some frontcourt help on their bench right now, and Kornet largely needing a change of scenery, this could be a nice match for both sides.