The Washington Wizards kicked off NBA Trade Season 2026 with a shock move to acquire Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks, and while fellow superstar Anthony Davis may also be on the market, it could be the Chicago Bulls who swing the next major trade.
The Bulls are reportedly interested in acquiring Zion Williamson from the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Wizards took a chance on Young, who certainly has his deficiencies as a player. Williamson's shortcomings are just as obvious, if not even more so. It would obviously be a massive risk for Chicago to go after the 25-year-old.
But given the Bulls' current state as a moribund franchise, maybe taking a massive risk is the best path forward.
Chicago Bulls interested in trading for Zion Williamson, per report
Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints mentioned Chicago as a potential suitor for Williamson as the Feb. 5 trade deadline approaches (h/t Hoops Rumors):
""Keep a close eye on the [Bulls] maybe pursuing Zion Williamson. … I’ve heard that there’s been some smoke there about Chicago scouting New Orleans in recent weeks, and Zion would be the ideal buy-low candidate for a team like the Bulls, who have a lot of expiring contracts.""ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel
The Bulls' interest in Williamson is surprising. Executive VP of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas is notoriously stingy and risk-averse when it comes to making moves, let alone one this big. And despite the former No. 1 pick's clear talent, he's famously one of the most injury-prone -- or unmotivated, depending on your position -- players in the league.
That doesn't mean making a move like this should be entirely out of the question for Chicago.
Williamson would be a perfect fit for the Bulls (on the court)
Zion has played more than 61 games in a season only once, in 2023-24. He started 70 games that year and averaged 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists while shooting 57.0 percent from the field on 15.6 attempts.
He was an All-Star the year before despite playing in only 29 games. He also made the Western Conference All-Star squad in 2020-21, his second season in the league.
Williamson's combination of size, athleticism, explosiveness and playmaking is historically rare. Those traits would make him an ideal fit for the Bulls' offense, which is predicated on pace, finding easy scoring opportunities in transition and moving the ball in the half-court.
Trading for Zion would be a risk worth taking
An important caveat: The Pelicans don't seem interested in moving Williamson -- or any of their other attractive assets, for that matter, according to league insider Chris Haynes.
But if the former Dukie does become available, he'll likely be available at a discount, much like Young was.
Washington sent C.J. McCollum (and his expiring contract) and Corey Kispert, also on an expiring contract, to the Hawks for the four-time All-Star. That's not a heavy price to pay, even with Young's faults.
The Bulls have a slew of expirings they can send to New Orleans. They also have control of all their own first-round picks moving forward. If Chicago can land a player with Williamson's talent -- even with his injury concerns -- for a package like Zach Collins, Kevin Huerter and a future first-rounder -- it would be a risk worth taking.