Chicago Bulls: Projecting the 21-22 starting 5 if they trade for Lonzo Ball

Finishing up the regular season with a good bit of optimism about what lies ahead wasn’t the worst way for first-year head coach Billy Donovan to round out his initial run with the Chicago Bulls. Donovan and the Bulls finished up the 2020-21 regular season with a record of 31-41, following a May 16 victory at home at the United Center over the divisional foe Milwaukee Bucks.

That win over the Bucks still wasn’t enough for the Bulls to get into the postseason, though. This was the fourth straight year that the Bulls missed out on the postseason. The past three were expected in the midst of a rebuild that was led by the front office pairing of John Paxson and Gar Forman.

But it was some sizable moves made by the likes of executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley that largely gave Bulls fans the optimism that they could make the postseason this year. Yet, they fell just a couple of games shy of getting into the play-in tournament over the Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, and/or Indiana Pacers.

What lies ahead for the Bulls does largely hinge on what moves Karnisovas and Eversley make to bolster the roster this summer. One name that circulated around various rumors for the Bulls of late is the New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball.

What a Lonzo Ball addition would do for the Chicago Bulls starting unit?

It would be big for the Bulls to get a player like Lonzo to the Windy City. He could fill various needs for them this offseason. And he’s set to hit restricted free agency this summer, with the Bulls as a potential suitor.

Here’s a look at how the Bulls starting unit could shake out heading into the 2021-22 season were they to either sign the offer sheet of Lonzo this summer or pull off a sign-and-trade deal with the Pels to get him.