Pass or Pursue: Chicago Bulls top 3 proposed trade targets

3. Doug McDermott

When I first saw Doug McDermott proposed as a potential trade target for the Bulls, I admit I had a little laugh to myself. Haven’t we tried this before? Chicago would infamously trade away the draft picks that became Jusuf Nurkic and Gary Harris at the 2014 NBA Draft to select McDermott 11th overall, a mistake that had long-lasting repercussions for this franchise.

Still, once I came to my senses and noticed McDermott has averaged 10.7 points on 41.7% shooting from deep over the past two seasons with the Spurs, I started to think there might be some traction here. This is especially true when you look at the holes in the Bulls’ depth chart, where it all starts to make a lot of sense. McDermott could slot in right behind Patrick Williams and would do wonders to bolster the spacing for the NBA’s worst three-point shooting team.

A Bulls reunion with Doug McDermott might make sense on paper, but it would be less feasible in reality.

If the Bulls were to deal for a shooter, going for one on an expiring deal like McDermott would make a lot of sense. However, there’s nobody expendable on the Bulls that could match his $13 million salary. Unless Chicago manages to convince San Antonio to take on the dead money of Lonzo Ball’s contract, this deal would be dead in the water before it even began.

To make matters worse, it’s not even a guarantee that McDermott’s shooting offsets his defensive deficiencies in the first place. If McDermott is the only shooter available on the trade market, the Bulls may just be better off running a three-guard lineup off the bench with Alex Caruso defending opposing forwards. I think Doug still has some left in the tank, but I’ll pass on this one.

Verdict: Pass