On opening night of the NBA draft, the Chicago Bulls didn’t make any moves outside of their 1st round pick. However, things changed somewhat when day two unfolded. The team reached a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers hours before the draft resumed. They would flip the 45th overall pick to L.A. for the 55th pick and cash considerations. It didn’t make much sense at first glance. Chicago isn’t hard-pressed by the salary cap. Other than being greedy, there wasn’t any logic to the move.
New context may have emerged recently. The Phoenix Suns have a logjam at guard and too much money on the books. Everybody knows they want to dump salary, and the obvious name on the list is Bradley Beal. He counts $53 million on the books next season. Unless they’re ready to deliver a record-breaking buyout, they must find somebody to trade for him. Chicago makes sense. Beal played under Billy Donovan. However, they could also be the ones to buy him out, especially after getting some extra cash from Los Angeles.
The Chicago Bulls could get some assets back by taking Beal off their hands.
If the Suns are eager enough to unload that contract, then a 1st round pick makes sense. Phoenix has five between 2026 and 2029. The Chicago Bulls are in rebuilding mode (sort of). Adding another future 1st rounder would help their cause, and all they’d have to do is spend some money. Granted, that is usually the antithesis of what Jerry Reinsdorf does. Perhaps Arturas Karnisovas convinced him after the trade with Los Angeles, believing it would soften the blow in a Beal trade. Time will tell. The Bulls also want to unload Nikola Vucevic, Patrick Williams, Lonzo Ball, and Coby White. There could be tons of movement in the near future.
