Nicolas Batum mentioned as possible Bulls trade target

It looks like the Chicago Bulls are going to be a buyer once again at the trade deadline, despite some of the team’s recent struggles. Second-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Bulls are sitting in the midst of a five-game losing skid entering a key Jan. 19 matchup at home against the division foe Cleveland Cavaliers.

If the Bulls are going to upgrade their rotation ahead of the trade deadline next month, it looks like it will come to help upgrade the forward position. That is where the Bulls need the most help right now. It is also the area where the Bulls could find the most fruitful market in terms of potential trade targets available.

There are some big names out there that are commonly mentioned as potential trade targets for the Bulls to help the forward rotation at the deadline next month. The two that stick out are often the Detroit Pistons star forward Jerami Grant and Sacramento Kings veteran standout forward Harrison Barnes.

A piece from NBC Sports Chicago last week mentioned Grant and Barnes as two realistic trade targets for the Bulls and what it could take for this team to land them at the deadline.

But there was another name brought up here that is an interesting forward to watch for the Bulls at the deadline. It is also an option for the Bulls that wouldn’t cost as much as Barnes or Grant. Los Angeles Clippers veteran forward Nicolas Batum was mentioned in this piece from NBC Sports Chicago as another option to watch for the Bulls at the deadline.

Chicago Bulls mentioned to potentially target Nicolas Batum at the deadline

And the potential trade package that was offered here saw the Bulls parting ways with a second-round pick for Batum. That’s not all that much to give up to get a player that is playing well right now for the Clippers and could bring a veteran voice to this locker that has valuable postseason experience.

Here’s more on what this NBC Sports piece had to say on the Bulls potentially targeting Batum from the Clippers at the deadline next month.

"For one, Batum’s $3.2 million salary would fit snugly into the $5 million trade player exception generated by August’s Daniel Theis sign-and-trade, meaning the 33-year-old forward’s contract could be absorbed without the Bulls needing to send out matching money.And the 33-year-old Batum, while not as springy as Grant or Barnes, fulfills a lot of what the Bulls need in the frontcourt. He was a revelation for last season’s Clippers because of his defensive versatility and still-solid spot-up shooting, even manning some small-ball center during Los Angeles’ run to the conference finals."

Batum is having a solid season for the Clippers so far. He’s averaged around nine points per game, five rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block while shooting around 49 percent from the field, 41 percent from beyond the arc, and 68 percent from the free-throw line.

There are definitely worse options out there for the Bulls to go after at the deadline to get some help in the forward rotation down the stretch this season than Batum. He could give Donovan and the Bulls another valued floor spacer and two-way forward that can make an impact right away.

A little more than halfway through the regular season, the Bulls are sitting on a record of 27-15. It does look like the Bulls will need help in the second half of the season if they want to get over the postseason hump and reach the point of a true title contender in the Eastern Conference.