One of the hottest Bulls rumors ahead of the looming March 25 trade deadline involves the former UCLA Bruin and New Orleans Pelicans two-way 6-foot-6 point guard Lonzo Ball. The Bulls were interested at different points of the season via the rumor mill in pursuing a Lonzo trade with the Pelicans if the pieces fell in place right.
First-year Chicago Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley were pretty hesitant to make any roster alterations since they first took over last offseason. The new lead voices in the front office could be waiting until their first trade deadline working together to make any major moves.
Let’s make these Bulls rumors a reality for Lonzo Ball
Moreover, hitting the trade block to bring Ball to the Windy City would be quite the way to make their first splash on the open market. And according to a report from Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer on March 21, the Bulls are one of two teams in discussions with the Pelicans to nab Lonzo ahead of the trade deadline later this week.
The other team that is reportedly in discussions with the Pelicans to get Lonzo ahead of the deadline is the Atlanta Hawks. Apparently, Karnisovas and the Bulls offered the Pelicans combo guard Tomas Satoransky and a second round draft pick to the Pelicans for Lonzo. But that doesn’t sound like it will be enough to get a deal done.
Where could Karnisovas and the Bulls look next to try and get this deal done to get Lonzo from NOLA? Here’s a look at three potential pieces of the young core that should go first in discussions with the Pelicans.
Players to send to Nola for Lonzo Ball No. 3: Daniel Gafford
What the second-year former Arkansas Razorbacks center Daniel Gafford showed first-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Bulls on March 21 in their win over the Detroit Pistons was special. Coming off the bench, Gafford registered a team-high 11 rebounds, eight points, and two blocks, in just 14 minutes played.
It goes to show that Gafford could still either hold a lot of value in the Bulls rotation or on the trade market if they wanted to move him. One thing is for sure, Donovan doesn’t have him holding an integral role in his frontcourt rotation at the moment. For much of the season, Gafford found himself in a lower second or third unit center reserve role.
Gafford has averaged just north of a dozen minutes on the floor per game. And he hasn’t even seen the floor in just shy of a dozen of the games the Bulls have played in so far this season. A hidden gem of a pick for the Bulls former front office regime of John Paxson and Gar Forman in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft hasn’t produced much this season.
However, if the Bulls are to make better use of any of the player assets they could move this year, then having someone like Gafford hit the trade block might be the right move. It is true that Gafford should have a bigger role than he does now. But it also seems true that Gafford’s rim running big man skill set isn’t the most ideal fit with Donovan’s offensive scheme.
Players to send to Nola for Lonzo Ball No. 2: Wendell Carter Jr.
The ability of third-year former Duke Blue Devils center Wendell Carter Jr. to fit into this new reserve role down the stretch this season could be the ultimate determining factor as to whether he remains with this team over the long haul. The 6-foot-10 and 270 pound 21-year-old Georgia native WCJ hit the bench for the first time in his NBA career since the All-Star Break let out on March 11.
The Bulls are now going on six straight games where WCJ came off the bench. The starting frontcourt for Donovan and the Bulls now sits with fourth-year power forward Lauri Markkanen (who is essentially playing at the five now) and veteran forward Thaddeus Young (playing at the four).
If Markkanen is able to stay healthy the rest of the way, then it will be a functional starting forward/big man unit for the Bulls to run with “The Finnisher”, “Thagic Johnson”, and rookie forward Patrick Williams.
Moreover, WCJ has provided the Bulls with mixed results in the five games he’s played in as a reserve. He’s averaged 8.2 points per game, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, around 0.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks. And WCJ shot 41.9 percent from the field, perfect on a single attempt from beyond the arc, and 73.7 percent from the charity stripe. That was good for a 52.1 true shooting percentage.
It’s clear that the role of WCJ with this team under the new front office regime and coaching staff has dipped greatly. As he’s soon to enter the final year of his rookie contract, dealing him for a player that could have a more prominent role with the team like Lonzo could be a good move for Karnisovas at the deadline.
Players to send to Nola for Lonzo Ball No. 1: Coby White
What would be the riskiest move for Karnisovas and the Bulls at the deadline in a potential Lonzo deal would be parting ways with the likes of second-year former North Carolina Tar Heels point guard Coby White. The 2019-20 All-Rookie Second-Team selection isn’t having the season that many envisioned he would after a red hot end to his rookie campaign in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Just like WCJ did post-All-Star Break, White lost his role in the starting five to a more veteran player. Ironically though, the player that replaced White in the starting five is one that reportedly was shopped in trade discussions to nab Lonzo, in Sato.
The Bulls could part ways with either White or Sato and realistically get a more than capable replacement on both ends of the floor in Lonzo. While Ball isn’t the volume scorer that White is or the reliable catch-and-shooter/distributor on the offensive end that Sato is, he could do a lot of what either does (and a lot of what they don’t).
This is a largely disappointing result for White so far more than halfway through his sophomore campaign in the NBA. His player efficiency rating, box plus/minus rating, and win shares are all on pace to be lower this season than they were during his rookie campaign.
A starting backcourt that would feature star shooting guard Zach LaVine and Lonzo would do a lot of the good that either White or Sato could with the first-time All-Star selection. Lonzo gives the length and versatile two-way presence that Sato can, and he can be an offensive spark plug as a distributor or driving the lane like White.