Potential Bulls trade with Lakers for surprising player who isn't Zach LaVine

The Chicago Bulls would be taking on more bad money in trade with Lakers 

Obviously, the Bulls would press for one of the Lakers’ first-round picks, but I am not sure LA is coming off one for Vucevic. 

Instead, they’d be giving the Bulls three picks in the second round, I added a third because Vanderbilt’s contract is bad. 

If the Bulls wanted to tank, this would be one way to do it, as it’s doubtful Vincent and Vanderbilt are going to contribute to many wins. The problem is their contracts, as Vanderbilt’s in particular is pretty much a sunk cost unless he suddenly turns things around. 

The whole point of trading Vucevic is to get his contract off the books and the Bulls would be taking back two deals that would equal his over the next two seasons and then two additional years of Vanderbilt at $12 and 13 million. They would get some cap relief after the second year, but is that meager amount and three second-round picks worth those extra years of Vanderbilt? 

That is debatable. 

Second-round picks should be more valuable in the second apron era with some cash-strapped teams looking to trade out of the back end of the first round to save money. The Bulls badly need draft assets that they can use immediately to add young talent and future picks to use in trades, so this would help both of those causes. 

It’s not a great deal for Chicago, but it might be the best they can hope for when it comes to Vucevic, who doesn’t have a much of a trade market.