Giannis Antetokounmpo is reportedly entertaining the possibility of a trade from the Bucks, and the Chicago Bulls could find themselves involved. Acquiring Giannis himself would be a dream trade target for the Bulls, but they can benefit from the Bucks’ dire position even if they don’t end up with the Greek Freak. The Bucks could be in desperate need of some trade facilitators, and that’s where the Bulls can take advantage.
The Bulls have a lot to gain as a third party
The New York Knicks have been cited as Giannis’ preferred trade destination since the summer, but they don’t have the pieces that the Bucks want. New York has a lot of win-now players, and the Bucks will be looking to enter a rebuild after trading away Giannis. Enter the Bulls, who can give the Bucks some promising youngsters and receive a second star to pair with Josh Giddey in the process.
The thought of adding a proven veteran contributor like two-way menace OG Anunoby or All-NBA performer Karl-Anthony Towns is a tantalizing one for Chicago. In return, they would certainly have to send out some young talent, but that could sneakily be a good move for the Bulls. This can be a chance to offload a player like Coby White before they have to be re-signed to an expensive contract.
Both White and Ayo Dosunmu are entering free agency next summer and are expected to receive big pay upgrades. They’ve both been outperforming their current contracts, but the Bulls’ lack of team success makes it hard to justify paying them even more. Instead, they might soon find themselves in trade talks as the Bulls look to recoup some value for them.
And it doesn’t necessarily have to be the Knicks that the Bulls work with, either. If White and/or Dosunmu are involved in the trade, the Bulls should have the financial flexibility to take back good players from any Giannis suitor. They can also send their own draft picks to the Bucks, which will sweeten the deal for Milwaukee rather than getting picks from Giannis’ new team.
As a team caught in a limbo of the NBA’s dreaded middle tier, the Bulls need to find any advantage to ascend into eventual contention. The NBA’s biggest trade target certainly qualifies as a golden opportunity. The Bulls have two ways to benefit from a Giannis trade—either go into a full rebuild or create a plausible contender.
Given the team’s commitment to Josh Giddey last summer and their recent comments viewing him as a Haliburton-esque cornerstone, it seems more likely that they’ll look to build a contender now. Only time will tell if that’s the right approach, but getting involved in Giannis’ trade can certainly accelerate it.