The Chicago Bulls find themselves in an unusual position as the NBA trade deadline approaches.
On the one hand, they are no longer a viable selling candidate as they were a month ago. On the other hand, they don’t appear to be in championship contention and should be wary of putting too much stock in a recent 10-5 run.
There are trade arguments pulling this team in every direction, and it’s possible that they’ll sell talent in one transaction and add it in another. This makes identifying their ideal trade targets difficult, but the three listed below should all be on their radar.
Zach LaVine’s impending return from a foot injury should reawaken his dormant trade market.
His injury history is extensive, and his contract is massive, but he’s still a 28-year-old two-time All-Star with one of basketball’s deepest offensive bags. He’s a three-level scoring machine who can also create shots for himself and his teammates.
Win-now teams with offensive questions will almost certainly have LaVine’s name on their whiteboards. Someone will think he’s worth the risk if he starts shredding nets again soon.
And the moment that happens, Chicago should be getting some draft consideration. It may not be multiple first-round picks or any protected firsts, but the Bulls’ future must be brightened if they ship.
The Bulls have demonstrated enough tenacity over the last month that they do not need to be solely concerned with acquiring draft picks. If they do sign a player, it should be someone they believe has a chance to develop with them.
Gary Trent Jr. is capable of doing so.
The 24-year-old would add a spark to this perimeter attack (career 38.3 percent from distance), as well as compensate for some of the offensive lost in a potential LaVine trade. Trent’s scoring output has dipped slightly this season, but he has averaged more than 15 points per game in each of the previous three seasons.
His contract is about to expire, so Chicago would need to decide whether or not to keep him. If he assisted in steering
