The Chicago Bulls have worked to overhaul their roster this offseason within the confines of limited draft capital and money. One way many had hoped the team might give their playoff hopes a jolt next season was by trading for Jonathan Kuminga. The young forward has been stymied in Golden State, stuck on the bench behind an established starting lineup led by Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green. The Bulls have been looking for young, athletic forwards to revamp their identity, and Kuminga seems perfect.
So why hasn’t it happened? Well, turns out it almost did. A new report from Jake Fischer of The Stein Lein revealed that Chicago and Golden State nearly reached an agreement on a deal that would’ve landed Kuminga in red and black. In fact, the 26-year-old had hoped the Bulls would be his destination. Two things collapsed the talks. First was the ongoing contract standoff with Josh Giddey. His being unsigned leaves the Bulls’ financial situation uncertain. The other was the decision to trade Lonzo Ball to Cleveland, whom the Warriors reportedly wanted.
“The 22-year-old’s camp had also been hopeful, sources say, about a potential sign-and-trade with Chicago, but the Bulls have their own ongoing restricted free agency dance to navigate with Giddey. The sides, sources say, remain far apart, with the Australian point guard long known to be seeking a deal that pays in the $30 million range annually.”
The Bulls’ decision not to wait for Jonathan Kuminga will be questioned.
Hearing the situation, it feels like they didn’t want to take the risk of waiting on him while the Giddey situation sorted itself out. If Jonathan Kuminga went to another team by some chance, it would’ve left the Bulls in the lurch with no solutions at forward. That is why they swung the deal with Cleveland for Isaac Okoro. It gave them the young, athletic wing defender they needed. Unfortunately, he doesn’t bring the same offensive upside Kuminga would have. While the odds aren’t completely dead, it now feels like the Bulls passed on their best opportunity to get a deal done. Unless the Warriors suddenly grow interested in Nikola Vucevic or Ayo Dosunmu, a sign-and-trade is unlikely to happen.
