As the Golden State Warriors move one win away from their fourth NBA title in the last seven years, the rest of the league is beginning to ramp up their discussions around the upcoming NBA Draft.
We’ve already had one trade, as the Nuggets moved JaMychal Green and a 2027 first to the Thunder for the 30th pick in the draft, and that figures to be the first of many, with a number of teams in the lottery and mid-first round all looking to make moves for veterans. The question, of course, is whether there are enough teams out there looking to move their veterans for draft capital, which may create a bit of a sellers market for those squads.
Among the teams reportedly making their first round pick available are the Chicago Bulls, who hold the 18th overall pick and are seeking an upgrade to their frontcourt. After some rumblings that Zach LaVine might open up his free agency recruitment to other teams, it appears the Bulls got the message and are willing to play ball on discussing the five-year max LaVine wants, per Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, making them likely to retain the star swingman. However, retaining LaVine puts the pressure on to contend immediately, and the immediate need is in the frontcourt, where Nikola Vucevic struggled to capture the same magic he had in Orlando in years past.
Per Fischer, the Bulls are “actively discussing” trade packages centered on Coby White and the 18th overall pick, with other salary filler possibly included (including Vucevic if it were to be for a bigger name). It seems unlikely that Rudy Gobert ends up being the main target as they aren’t willing to part with Patrick Williams in those discussions, but other bigs on the market could be in play for Chicago.
Myles Turner in Indiana is, once again, finding his way into trade rumors and would fit Chicago’s defensive needs, but trading within the division is always a bit tricky — although Indiana has shown a willingness to do so after dealing Caris LeVert to Cleveland. The Hawks are open for business and if Clint Capela doesn’t end up in a deal for Deandre Ayton or Gobert, he may be an option for the Bulls to consider.
It’s clear that the Bulls recognize that their end-of-season struggles weren’t solely the result of injuries and that upgrades are needed to contend in the top-heavy East, and they’ll go into this month’s draft hoping to make a win-now move for a big man.