One of the more underrated stories in the NBA this season is how the Chicago Bulls young core has made some significant improvement this season. This team is led by budding star Zach LaVine, who is in the running for the most improved player award with his flashy scoring and play making every night. His stat line of 28/5/5 has led to him making his first all star appearance this weekend and has also put the Bulls in the playoff picture in the Eastern conference. While this team still has a long way to go before becoming true contenders, the progress this team is making in their development is a great sign for their future and also puts them on the map for free agents. Now that the Bulls are trying to become a winning team again, the Bulls must consider making a trade to help them take the next step. While they are an improving team, they are still weak in several areas, and here are some players to target before the deadline that can help them fix these deficiencies.
Lonzo Ball
Adding Lonzo to the Bulls squad would be an immediate help to their offensive playmaking and defense. Coby White has struggled with consistency this year, and is arguably more of a natural shooting guard than a point guard. Adding Lonzo to the rotation would help Coby’s development as a more well rounded player, and his pass first playstyle would vastly improve the floor spacing and relieve some of the offensive load for Coby and LaVine. Lonzo’s game would also bring a defensive presence that has been lacking in the backcourt. While Lonzo is not the league’s best defender, he has been stepping it up lately with a rating of 111.0, something the Bulls 27th ranked defense desperately needs any upgrade it can get.
Karl-Anthony Towns
If the Bulls wanted to make a big splash at the trade deadline, Karl-Anthony Towns would be the way to go. Rumor has it that Towns has become disgruntled with the Timberwolves franchise, and for good reason. The Timberwolves have been in the basement of the Western Conference ever since Jimmy Butler was traded away, and it doesn’t seem like things are going to improve any time soon. The Timberwolves are better off completely rebuilding from scratch at this point, as it does not seem like Towns and D’Angelo Russell are capable of making this team anything close to a contender. Towns would be a good fit for the Bulls. While he is not a great defender, his offensive skills would be a major upgrade from the rest of the frontcourt that has battled injuries and consistency all year. Towns does have injury concerns of his own, but also has a much higher ceiling than Lauri Markannen and Wendell Carter. Towns’ presence could bring the team from a fringe playoff team to a top 4 team in a weak eastern conference. Now is the time to make a move like this, and I think the Bulls should go for it.
Nikola Vucevic
If Minnesota is not willing to send Towns in a trade, another elite big man whose name has popped up in trade rumors is center Nikola Vucevic. The Magic are a team that have a very unclear future. They were the definition of NBA purgatory last season, and their building blocks in Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Issac are currently recovering from season ending injuries. The Magic should just go into a full rebuild at this point, and trading Vucevic fresh off an all star appearance would be a great place to start. Trading Vucevic to the Bulls would benefit both teams, as the Magic can begin to plan for their future and the Bulls get one of the most underrated centers in the league. Although not elite, he is a better defender than Towns and is one of the most versatile centers in the league with his scoring, rebounding and passing ability. He has less injury concerns than the current Bulls frontcourt as well. Vucevic would be another great addition for the Bulls and should be right behind Towns on their wish list.
Who do you think the Bulls should go after? Do you think these are the top three targets?
Nikola is behind only AD and Jokic as the best Big Man in the game