From optimism to disappointment, the Chicago Bulls have now lost three in a row to the Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Pelicans, and injury-riddled Atlanta Hawks within a four-day span. This losing streak comes after being winners of five of their last seven.
The Bulls are reeling despite continued strong performances from leading scorers Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. LaVine averages 30.0 points per game and converts 56.0 percent of his field goals and 49.0 percent of his three-pointers in January. Vooch's stats have declined slightly, but he's still averaging a double-double while shooting above 50 percent from the floor.
Aside from Chicago's star duo, only Coby White is clearing double-digits in the scoring column. The 6-foot-5 guard is averaging 20.7 points per game in January. Fellow starters Patrick Williams and Josh Giddey have struggled mightily as of late. Williams is averaging 6.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while converting 32.8 percent of his field goals. Giddey continues to contribute on the glass and shell out a plethora of assists, but he's averaging only 9.3 points, shooting 37.7 percent from the floor.
The Bulls have yet to distinguish themselves as the trade deadline nears. Chicago's direction remains uncertain. Will the Bulls be buyers or sellers come February 6? According to a recent mock trade from ESPN, the Bulls continue to toe the line between buying and selling.
Bulls acquire Julius Randle in latest ESPN mock trade
ESPN Insiders concocted a massive three-team swap involving Chicago, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Utah Jazz. The hypothetical sees Chicago acquiring forward Julius Randle from the Timberwolves and guard Jordan Clarkson from the Jazz.
Minnesota receives guard Coby White from Chicago and forward John Collins by way of Utah. Finally, the Jazz received three players as a part of the mock swap—forward Jaden McDaniels from Minnesota and guards Lonzo Ball and Chris Duarte from Chicago.
ESPN notes that by greasing the wheels in this three-team trade, the Bulls will dip into the luxury tax for the first time since 2015. Chicago would acquire its new starting power forward, Randle, and a sixth man to replace White's perimeter scoring in Clarkson. Following this mock trade, the Bulls would start Giddey and LaVine in the backcourt, bump Williams down to small forward, and Randle alongside Vucevic in the frontcourt.
While the starting five is far more balanced after shifting Williams and LaVine down to their natural positions, adding Randle to one of the worst defenses in basketball is a recipe for disaster. The Timberwolves swapped Karl-Anthony Towns for Randle in the offseason despite making a trip to the Western Conference Finals and leading the league in defensive rating in 2023-24.
Halfway through the season, Minnesota's defense has declined. The Wolves have been much better with the 6-foot-9 forward off the floor. The Wolves allow 4.7 points more per 100 possessions whenever Randle is in the lineup. For what it's worth, Minnesota was 3.6 points per 100 possessions better defensively with KAT on the floor.
Randle is a questionable fit in Chicago
Chicago already struggles tremendously on defense, yet Randle would exacerbate the Bulls' defensive woes. Although adding the former Knick to the Bulls' lineup adds height, Randle is nowhere near a difference-maker from the interior. 6-foot-5 Coby White has recorded the same amount of blocks as Randle this season—eight.
Offensively, Randle fits in Chicago's free-flowing offense better than Minnesota's. He'd be granted wider driving lanes and more space to operate in the mid-post. However, there's cause for concern when assessing a lineup containing Giddey and Randle. Both players are best with the ball in their hands and tend to struggle off-ball. Furthermore, it's fair to wonder if Vucevic will continue knocking threes down at a high clip with another bruising big in the lineup.
Lineups become iffy while the financials become problematic. In this hypothetical trade, the Bulls seep into the luxury tax for what? To acquire Randle and Clarkson, who are under contract for an additional season, combining to earn $45 million? That's not an ideal move, considering Chicago would send out one of the NBA's more team-friendly deals (White's three-year, $36 million pact) and Lonzo's and Duarte's expiring contracts.
It isn't worth acquiring Randle and Clarkson to form a more aesthetic starting lineup. This isn't to say the Bulls shouldn't make a move (they definitely should), but this hypothetical would surely set Chicago back even further.