A team that was commonly involved in the trade market for wings frequently in recent years out of the Western Conference was the Golden State Warriors. And it appears that head coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors are now interested in getting further in discussions in a trade with the Chicago Bulls for veteran small forward Otto Porter Jr. Just ahead of the March 25 trade deadline, a report from Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer shows that the Warriors are checking in to see about an OPJ discussion with the Bulls new front office regime.
This would be big for first-year executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley if they could get a solid return for a player in the midst of a contract year like OPJ. As one of a few players that were rumored to be on the move ahead of the March 25 trade deadline for the Bulls of late, OPJ makes sense as a potential player to be shopped.
OPJ hasn’t played a whole lot for the Bulls so far this season. Injury issues have once again decimated the ability of OPJ to make a consistent impact for this team. He’s still dealing with a back injury that has kept him out for more than the last month.
Since first arriving in the Windy City nearly two years ago, OPJ has only played in 45 games for the Bulls. There’s just not a good way to spin the lack of ability for OPJ to say healthy over the course of his three different seasons playing for this team.
The idea of the Chicago Bulls trading OPJ
Moreover, if OPJ does return to the rotation healthy this season and there is a team like the Warriors that is interested in trading for him, it would make sense for Karnisovas to make this happen. OPJ is the highest paid player on the Bulls current cap sheet, but since there is only one year left on his contract the Warriors could stomach that cost.
The ability to match salaries with other bloated contracts of players that could fit with the Bulls better than OPJ, and stay in the rotation on a more consistent basis, makes him potentially valuable in discussions ahead of the deadline. The Bulls do have a plethora of player assets and future draft capital to work with in trade talks this year.
OPJ has played in 16 games for the Bulls this season, but he hasn’t taken part in game action for them since Feb. 1, in a win over the New York Knicks. In those 16 games that he has played in this season, OPJ is averaging roughly 12 points per game, six rebounds, and two assists.
With only a few weeks remaining ahead of the trade deadline later this month, the Bulls are soon to have a lot of decisions to make in the very near future. The Bulls carry a record of 16-18 after the All-Star Game, just ahead of their March 11 home meeting with the Philadelphia 76ers at the United Center.