The Chicago Bulls can steal Yves Missi from the New Orleans Pelicans in the next nine days. But the most savvy trade option they have comes with a cost -- Jordan Poole and his $34 million salary.
Chicago Executive VP of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas has failed in several ways when it comes to roster building. But perhaps more than any, his greatest misstep has been his disastrous evaluation of the center position.
Karnisovas has built this team with a specific vision: He and head coach Billy Donovan want a group of young athletes who can create turnovers, run in transition, shoot threes and buy into an offense predicated on ball movement and player movement. Josh Giddey is at the center of that vision, flanked by Matas Buzelis.
For a slew of reasons, Nikola Vucevic doesn't fit into that design. Yet the plodding, ground-bound, 35-year-old continues to soak up most of the minutes at a critical spot. That has to change as soon as possible -- hence acquiring Missi from New Orleans.
Bulls find bargain trade for Yves Missi with a major $34 million caveat
Landing Missi while giving up the fewest number of assets possible could happen in a deal that looks like this:
Why the Pelicans make this trade
Poole's contract is one of the most disgusting deals in the league. Full stop.
The 26-year-old's reputation as a shoot-first, shoot-second, shoot-always guard who doesn't care much for defense only worsened when he was traded from the Golden State Warriors to the rebuilding Washington Wizards.
He's hit a new low with the Pelicans in 2025-26, though, as he's scoring just 14.5 points per game on 37.0 percent shooting from the field and 33.6 percent shooting from three.
The Bulls' willingness to take the $34 million he's due next season off their hands in this hypothetical scenario would be attractive to NOLA.
Missi, meanwhile, showed promise last season but has seen his minutes and role dwindle as rookie Derik Queen has taken over as the Pels' center of the future.
New Orleans would be getting rid of an albatross contract (Poole) and selling high on a player who's not solidified in its long-term plans (Missi) in exchange for a good chunk of cap room (Collins' $18 million expiring) and a potential starting guard next to Jeremiah Fears (White) for the next four to five years if they choose to re-sign him this summer.
Grading the trade for the Bulls
Missi is the polar opposite of Vucevic. The 21-year-old is 6-foot-11 and 235 pounds of springy, explosive athleticism. Add a 7-foot-2 wingspan to the equation, and Missi has the ideal traits to be a rim-running, rim-protecting center who fits Donovan's scheme. He would pair ideally with a slick-passing floor general like Giddey -- on both ends.
With more projected cap space than almost any other team in the league this offseason and no need to compete next year, Chicago can handle one year of Poole.
For taking on the Poole tax, the Bulls avoid throwing any draft assets into this trade. Losing White would sting a bit, but he may be on his way out of the Windy City anyway. Potentially solving the center problem that's plagued the franchise for years without surrendering anything of genuine value seems like a no-brainer, even if it comes with an asterisk.