Just when things seemed to be cooling off for the Chicago Bulls this offseason, news of Lonzo Ball’s injury exception has stirred up the pot and has the rumor mill buzzing with potential possibilities. This means the Bulls can outright sign OR trade for a player on the last year of their contract, as long as their contract isn’t greater than the $10.2 million exception. With so few difference-making players available in free agency, this greatly enhances Chicago’s flexibility in negotiations.
This opens up a big opportunity for the Bulls, as they still have clear holes to address, primarily in the frontcourt and on the wing. Considering the few truly net-positive players remaining unsigned in free agency have already been covered extensively here at Pippen Ain’t Easy (looking at you Christian Wood and P.J. Washington), I thought I’d take a crack at scouring the market for the best potential trade deals the Bulls could pull off.
Let’s take a look at the top three players that the Bulls could realistically target in trades with their newly acquired DPE.
These are the 3 best players the Bulls could trade for via Lonzo Ball’s injury exception.
3. Kenyon Martin Jr., Los Angeles Clippers
Between Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, Cam Whitmore, Jae’Sean Tate, and the recently signed Dillon Brooks, the Houston Rockets are more than loaded up on interesting players at the wing. That’s why their decision to trade the young and talented Kenyon Martin Jr. for nothing more than two second-round picks didn’t come as all that much of a shock to me. He was simply the odd man out.
Truth be told, things may not go so different for K-Mart Jr. in LA either, as Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Nic Batum, Marcus Morris, and Norman Powell are all firmly entrenched in the rotation. Things could be different for the forward in Chicago, however, as outside of DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Williams, and Torrey Craig, the Bulls have virtually no proven depth.
Although his career averages of 10.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game are nothing to get too excited over, the fact that Martin Jr. averaged 14.4 points (on 57.4% shooting, no less) and 6.2 rebounds is certainly worth a deeper look into things. KMJ could genuinely challenge Williams for the starting power forward role, and would be a welcome addition to the Bulls.
2. Jarred Vanderbilt, Los Angeles Lakers
After signing Rui Hachimura to a sizeable three-year, $51 million deal, it’s clear to see the Lakers have committed to the promising Japanese forward for the long-haul. This couldn’t be worse news for Jarred Vanderbilt, who was by all accounts making a name for himself on the Lakers as the starting power forward.
It remains unclear whether Rui or Vando will get the starting nod next season, but it will be difficult for the Lakers to justify such a large payday to Hachimura just to sit on the bench — especially when Vanderbilt is on an expiring deal for less than $5 million, and will be looking for his own extension soon. This confusion has left many fans wondering if Vanderbilt’s time in Los Angeles could be coming to a close, as he’d be a valuable trade asset to help balance out the roster.
Jarred Vanderbilt is the exact archetype of player the Chicago Bulls are sorely missing.
Ironically, there’s a vocal contingent of the Lakers’ fanbase that wants LA to trade Vanderbilt for the aforementioned Wood to boost up their offense. While a few fans are hardly a credible insight to the minds of the Lakers’ front office, it does at least prove Vanderbilt isn’t viewed as an untouchable asset to this team.
Although Vando may not have the offensive arsenal of a player like Wood, that isn’t what the Bulls are looking for right now. They have Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic for that. Vanderbilt is the type of player to get down and dirty fighting for boards and playing stifling defense. As it turns out, that’s exactly the type of player the Bulls need.
1. Nicolas Claxton, Brooklyn Nets
We might be bordering on “dream scenario” territory here, but that doesn’t make this any less true. If the Bulls were able to land any eligible player with the $10.2 million DPE, I doubt any would get fans as excited as Brooklyn’s Nicolas Claxton.
Earning the full-time starting role for the Nets this season, Claxton thoroughly impressed and surpassed all expectations. He averaged 12.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game while somehow still playing less than 30 minutes per game. His per-minute productions was simply incredible, leaving many optimistic over his future potential and development.
Nicolas Claxton is undoubtedly the best player the Bulls could theoretically acquire with Lonzo’s DPE.
It’s not like this hypothetical doesn’t have a precedent either, as the Nets famously traded borderline All-Star caliber center Jarrett Allen for pennies on the dime to remain beneath the luxury tax threshold. In their pursuit of James Harden, Brooklyn infamously burned through all their draft capital and young talent to build around their Big 3. With Claxton up for a contract extension next season, it’s not an impossibility that history might repeat itself and the Nets choose to prioritize playing the next young talent in Day’Ron Sharpe for cheap.
Although it may be unlikely, it’s still something the front office should explore. Having a true rim protector like Claxton could help significantly revamp this team and potentially even raise their ceiling as a contender. Best of all, the 24-year-old’s timeline matches up with the young core far better than Nikola Vucevic.