The Chicago Bulls have assembled one of the all-round best rosters in the NBA this offseason. Resigning superstar Zach LaVine has cemented the Bulls as a definite playoff team next year. Yet, trading for KD could cement them as definite NBA championship contenders.
This very well may be the best Chicago Bulls team since Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr, Ron Harper, and Toni Kukoc were lacing up for their numerous title wins back in the 1990’s. That is how good and how deep this current Bulls roster is.
They have two superstars: SG Zach LaVine and SF Demar DeRozan; talented starters: PG Lonzo Ball, C Nikola Vucevic, and C/PF Andre Drummond; and great role players: PG/SG Alex Caruso, PG/SG Colby White SG/SF Javonte Green, and PG/SG Ayo Dosunmu.
This team has the capability to wind up as a Top-3 seed in the East, which should excite Bulls’ fans for the upcoming season.
But it’s pretty unlikely the Bulls will wind up winning the NBA championship, or even play in the Conference Final for that matter.
Teams like the Celtics, Heat, Bucks, Hawks, and 76ers will probably be too strong for Chicago to overmatch come playoff time.
However, if the Bulls can land KD, then that changes everything.
Adding Kevin Durant to this Bulls team instantly makes them title favorites (which I feel like I’m calling everybody now). KD can fill any of one of Chicago’s frontcourt positions, though he would most likely wind up in the Power Forward slot.
A “Big 3” of KD, Zach Lavine, Demarr DeRozan is a nice dream for Chicago Fans, but an unrealistic one. To fit KD into the Bulls’ roster, and under its cap, somebody has to go.
But who?
Well, the easiest and most likely first bargaining chip of any KD trade would be draft capital. More specifically, 5 1st-round picks.
If Rudy Gobert goes for 4 1st-round picks, then KD has to go for at least 5. But that’s not all.
Any trade involving KD to Chicago must involve Demar DeRozan going in the opposite direction. Both players play in similar positions, while their cap hits are somewhat comparable. Plus, Brooklyn will want a superstar in return for its franchise superstar, so it only makes sense for DeRozan to go.
Either Lonzo Ball or Nikola Vucevic would be joining DeRozan in Brooklyn as KD’s salary and remaining trade value would still need to be balanced. I’d probably trade Vucevic as Ball’s importance to the flow of the offense is far greater than Vucevic’s output.
Plus, newly signed Andre Drummond can slide into the Bulls’ vacant center position if Vucevic is moved.
Then, a combination of Alex Caruso, Colby White, Javonte Green, and Ayo Dosunmu would also be added on. It’s really a matter of Brooklyn’s preference for whichever one of these guys is traded, though I suspect it would probably be Caruso and Green.
Even with all of those pieces being shipped off to Brooklyn, KD presence alone instantly makes Chicago a much more intimating prospect. With Ball, LaVine, and KD all starting together, I’d expect this offense to be one of the very best in the NBA.
With the roster as it is now, I’d place the Bulls in the 4th-6th position with a Second Round exit in the playoffs come next season. However, with KD on the team, I don’t see why the Bulls couldn’t win it all.
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