3. Lauri Markkanen goes to the Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers are at the tip of the iceberg with their current core, and their performance early on could ultimately dictate if they continue trying to build a contender around Damian Lillard, or if they blow it all up and begin the rebuild.
In this scenario, it almost certainly would not happen until the trade deadline. If no team ponies up and offers Markkanen the big contract he wants this summer, it’s entirely possible the Bulls retain him on the qualifying offer for one more year. This would make him a desirable trade asset to a team like the Trail Blazers in the event they commit to a rebuild.
After losing Zach Collins, the Trail Blazers no longer have a long-term answer at the power forward slot. Sliding in a big that can stretch the floor while Jusuf Nurkic provides a strong low-post presence on defense seems like a very natural fit.
If the Trail Blazers do blow it up and begin their rebuild, we have to assume Lillard, CJ McCollum, Norman Powell, and Robert Covington would be on the trade block. Of all these names, Covington is the most realistic big impact trade target that the Chicago Bulls could acquire.
Covington is on the last year of his deal, which means Portland isn’t in a great position to bargain for more young players or draft picks since they’d lose Covington to unrestricted free agency if they fail to trade him. This is also a huge bonus for Chicago because Covington would come off the books right before LaVine’s huge extension kicks in.
Many people are concerned about the defense in the starting lineup, so adding one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA makes a lot of sense. It would also take the pressure off Patrick Williams’ shoulders to be the defensive cornerstone in just his sophomore season. All in all, a lot of dominoes would first need to fall for this trade to go through, but it’s still one I would keep my eye as the Bulls look primed to make a playoff push.