Chicago Bulls: 4 trade targets that won’t break the bank

Targets that won’t break the bank No. 2: Kendrick Nunn

Dog of a point guard returns home to bring a spark off the bench for his hometown team. No, this isn’t the Derrick Rose return many of us want. Instead, Kendrick Nunn could be a nice blend of the offense you’d like from the current-version of Rose and the defense lost by the departure of Kris Dunn to the Atlanta Hawks.

Nunn, a native of Chicago who went to the famed Simeon H.S., is averaging 13.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists with 23 starts for the Miami Heat. The points and assists are down from his rookie season but the boards and his steals per game are up.

So why would the Heat, the defending Eastern Conference champs, move on from a 25-year-old point guard? For one thing, they are deep at the position when fully healthy, though that’s rarely been the case with either Goran Dragic or Avery Bradley. The other reason could be that Nunn hasn’t been the most consistent player in his young career.

That’s not unexpected but could lead to Miami moving on from a player they won’t want to pay what he’ll eventually command. His qualifying offer for next season would take his salary from just under $1.7 million to over $4.7 million.

Nunn won’t do much for the need for a “floor general” but he can be another scoring option, ball handler, and perhaps most importantly, a good on-ball defender.

He’d slot in nicely next to either LaVine, White, or even both given their limitations defensively.

Finding a way to pull this deal off is where it gets tricky. Nunn’s salary being so low this season means there aren’t many equal swaps on the roster. Chandler Hutchison’s prolonged absence torpedoes any potential value he would have so it comes down to either wanting to part with second-round picks or hoping Miami lets him hit free agency.