Bulls need to get in on the Kevin Durant sweepstakes

In perhaps the biggest NBA storyline we’ve seen in the past few years, Kevin Durant has formally requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. As can be expected, this has triggered a mad dash from front offices all over the league to begin compiling their best offers for the superstar. The Chicago Bulls are no exception here, as they could potentially put together an alluring package for Durant.

Since KD is under contract for the next four seasons, Brooklyn is ultimately the arbiter of his fate and can send them wherever they choose. Since the Nets have traded away all of their draft picks to the Houston Rockets, common sense would indicate that they will try to remain competitive even after dealing Durant away.

If anything, this actually works to the Bulls’ advantage, considering Chicago is rather lacking in draft capital compared to other potential suitors. We may have just been joking when we posted this tweet a week ago, but now Durant joining the Bulls is beginning to look like a legitimate possibility.

Not only do I believe the Chicago Bulls need to get in on the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, I think they have enough assets to get a deal done.

It should come as little surprise that the Bulls are far from the only team that should be interested in inquiring about Durant’s services. While Phoenix, Miami, and Philadelphia have made their interest very public, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported on NBA Today that more than half of the teams in the league have already reached out about a potential trade.

The Bulls present an interesting option for Durant, as he’s made nothing but glowing reviews of the city and organization in past interviews. Chicago is a team built to win now and could genuinely compete for a championship over the next four years with Durant in town.

Considering Brooklyn has made it known they’d want either Devin Booker or Bam Adebayo in return from Phoenix or Miami, we have to assume that one of either Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan would be included in any potential trade for KD.

By adding a few first-round picks and additional young talent like Lonzo Ball and Patrick Williams to the pot, this package starts looking extremely strong relative to what Brooklyn would get elsewhere.

If the Bulls play their cards right, they could march out a starting lineup resembling something like:

• PG: Alex Caruso
• SG: Ayo Dosunmu
• SF: Zach LaVine / DeMar DeRozan
• PF: Kevin Durant
• C: Nikola Vucevic

When you factor in any additional pieces added either via free agency or Brooklyn’s return package, that team certainly has the makings of a real championship contender. The Bulls’ front office will have more than their fair share of competition to get this deal to go down, but it still presents a golden opportunity to bring the first championship banner to Chicago in over 25 years.

For a guy like Kevin Durant who has had a difficult time establishing his own legacy and cementing his status as an all-time great, I can’t think of an easier way to do so than to be the first man to bring the Chicago Bulls to the promised land since Michael Jordan himself.