After being dumped out of the first round in three of the last four playoffs, the Portland Trail Blazers have finally decided to part ways with head coach Terry Stotts. Couple this with the nagging rumor that All-NBA level guard Damian Lillard wants out of Portland, and suddenly the Portland Trail Blazers could be entering the 2021-22 season with a completely different roster. With the potential of so many roster changes occurring, it begs the question as to whether the Chicago Bulls can maybe take advantage and make a move in hopes of getting back to the playoffs.
This could be something that the Bulls could take advantage of with either the Boston Celtics or the Trail Blazers entering the summer months.
Who from the Blazers could fit with the Chicago Bulls?
It’s no secret that this current Bulls team has some big flaws that need to be addressed. The three main areas seem to be the lack of a consistent point guard, some wing depth, and a rim protector. The Bulls could look to upgrade in free agency (which seems most likely) or look to make smart trades throughout the summer.
However, when looking at this current Blazers roster, there isn’t a whole lot that matches up with the Bulls’ needs. Damian Lillard is clearly the cream of the crop, but if the Bulls were to even consider making a move for him, it would cost most of the roster, plus a healthy heaping of draft picks.
The premium that the Bulls would have to pay to get Dame is just as difficult to come up with for this front office as it would be to find the space on the cap sheet.
Picks that are even more precious to this team after dealing two of them to Orlando in order to get Nikola Vucevic.
Past Lillard, the clear number two in Portland is off guard CJ McCollum. But even he is not the best fit for the Bulls. An argument can be made that potentially there is a world in which both star shooting guard Zach LaVine and McCollum can co-exist on the floor together, with one of them developing into a willing passer (ala James Harden and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn).
But the issue with that assessment is that the Bulls would just end up with the same issues this current Blazers team has right now, no defense on the perimeter. Couple this with the high asking price it will take to get McCollum plus the lack of rim protection to compensate for the poor perimeter defense, and suddenly making a move for CJ makes less sense than making a move for Lillard.
Speaking of rim protection, even big man Jusuf Nurkic does not feel like a great option for the Bulls. Despite him being a very skilled passer and rim protector, to trade for a big who earns $12 million a year and can’t shoot does not fit well with Vucevic at the five.
Playing him off the bench feels like a waste of talent as well, especially considering the Bulls have a chance to re-sign Daniel Theis for cheaper. Theis, while not the talent Nurkic is, is a better shooter and is probably more accepting of a rotation role. After all, it was his lack of usage that is one of the reasons why Nurkic is considering leaving Portland, to begin with.
"“At the beginning of the year I wish my role was bigger, I think I could help even more but, like I said, I was respectful and tried to do what they asked of me.” (per BlazersEdge)"
If the Bulls were to try and get in on a potential Trail Blazers fire sale, it would most likely not be in the hopes of obtaining one of the 3 biggest prices. Rather, it would be smarter to target rotation pieces that could either help now or develop into solid options in the future.
A player like Zach Collins, while not the most coveted piece on that Blazers team, could develop and in the future step into the Thaddeus Young role once he begins to age out. Another player who comes to mind is Derrick Jones Jr., a wing defender who won’t take minutes away from Patrick Williams, but rather be a better fit than someone like Denzel Valentine was.
In conclusion, the chances the Bulls actually make a deal with the Blazers feels incredibly low, considering there are no rumors circulating any potential deals. But going through their roster and examining who could fit with the Bulls is a good thought exercise that helps give the fans more of an understanding as to who’s a realistic target, and who we may need to pump the brakes on for now.