Yeah, it’s that time of the year.
The NBA season is over. The draft has come and gone. Peak free agency has passed. It’s all about rumors now and the Bulls are caught right in the middle of the biggest one this off-season.
The Damian Lillard sweepstakes.
The seven time All-Star wants out of Portland and the Bulls are one of the teams that have the ammo to land him in a potential blockbuster trade.
What Would It Cost Chicago?
In order for the Bulls to acquire Lillard, they will have to pay a BIG price tag. According to Zach Lowe, here is what the Bulls would likely offer in a potential trade package for Damian Lillard.
Bulls receive: Damian Lillard, pick swap(s).
Portland receives: Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams, and a lot of draft picks.
“Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams. Patrick Williams is the big one for me because I am on the lookout for rookie-scale guys and he’s toward the end of his rookie deal and there aren’t many rookie-scale studs that I can really take a look at and say, ‘maybe that guy’s team wants Damian Lillard…”
Zach Lowe went on to say that draft picks would play a huge role in acquiring Lillard and that the Bulls might even pull in a third team such as the San Antonio Spurs.
“Portland gets its pick back from Chicago. I give you that pick back and if I am really feeling like I gotta beat Miami’s offer, I call the Spurs and ask them to amend the protections on our pick so that I can toss in two more first-round picks to Portland.”
Should The Bulls Even Trade For Dame?
Now that we know the cost of what trading for Dame would be, should the Bulls even go this route? Artūras Karnišovas isn’t afraid to take big swings. Look no further than the Nikola Vucevic trade a few years ago. But if AK takes another swing like this for Lillard, I believe the outcome would be similar. Obviosuly, Dame is a way better player than Vucevic. I mean the dude averaged 32 and 7 last season. He’s a consistent All-Star and proven scorer. But would Dame really move the needle? Would he put the Bulls in a better situation given all the assets they’d have to part ways with? The answer is no.
They’d be fighting for a 6th seed at best. I love Dame as a player but he is 32. And although he might have a few great seasons left in the tank, I believe the best thing for the Bulls is to tear it down and rebuild through the draft.
Taking another big swing isn’t worth the risk.
