As we wait in anticipation of tonight’s 2022 NBA Draft to begin, the Rudy Gobert trade rumors to the Chicago Bulls are reaching a climax. Since the Bulls cannot trade the 18th pick until the selection has been made, we won’t know for sure if a trade is in the works until the draft kicks off.
To gauge how the Bulls fanbase felt about a potential Gobert trade, we conducted a poll on Twitter. We ended up receiving over 200 votes from fans, and we were left with a surprisingly unanimous decision.
An overwhelming 84.2% of fans voted in favor of trading for Gobert in some capacity. While there has been an outspoken minority against paying an aging Gobert so much money, more than twice as many voters were willing to trade for Rudy, even if it meant giving up Patrick Williams.
How are we feeling about the Rudy Gobert trade rumors? Should the Bulls pull the trigger?
— Pippen Ain't Easy (@BullsBeatBlog) June 21, 2022
With their eyes set on making a playoff push for the first time in years, Chicago Bulls fans voted in favor of a potential Rudy Gobert trade.
Gobert has continued to add fuel to the fire, recently removing the Utah Jazz from his Instagram bio and instead opting for a “peace” emoji. While I’m not usually one to buy into this type of social media antics, it is an interesting decision to do so the day before the draft.
If he were to come to Chicago, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year would radically change this team’s defense. The Bulls had the 8th worst defense in the league last season, while the Jazz had the 10th best defense despite Gobert being the only positively rated defender in their starting lineup.
By adding Gobert and a full healthy season from Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso, Chicago could legitimately improve from 8th worst to one of the top-rated defenses in a single summer. The Bulls’ personnel from top to bottom are an improvement over the current Utah Jazz roster without Gobert, which means he’d have the best chance to compete for a championship in his life if he were to be traded.
The real obstacle to getting this deal done, in my opinion, isn’t the massive amount of money Rudy’s owed over the next four years. It’s the inclusion of Williams in any trade package. Seeing as how 64% of voters are against a Gobert trade that includes Pat, this appears to be a consensus opinion among the fanbase right now. Building the best Gobert trade package
Entering tonight’s draft with the 18th pick and intriguing prospects like Williams and Coby White, the Chicago Bulls have officially reached an impasse where they must decide between mortgaging the future to compete now or accepting a reality in which this current core cannot compete for a title. Tune into the draft at 7 pm CT tonight to see how it all shakes out!