But they are already thin on wing defenders and adding a fourth offensive option might be overkill. In this scenario, they would get to keep Alex Caruso and Ayo Dosunmu. On top of other teams potentially outbidding them, the Bulls would risk compounding the issues that have gotten them in this position – trading for win-now players without a solid infrastructure around them. There would likely be no shortage of suitors for Lillard should he become available. Lillard has previously admitted that, if the Blazers came to him with visions of going in a different direction he would be open to a trade. “Maybe the biggest question for them is…what will they decide to do with Damian Lillard? But at 33 years old this summer, starting to miss games with injuries and owed a $63 million season four years from now, how much of a market does Lillard really have anymore?” “There seems almost no chance Portland will make the playoffs,” notes Sam Smith of NBA.com. A move that is more wanted for him than by him, or so it has seemed. Lillard leaving Portland is the NBA media’s white whale.
He is one of just five players to finish their season putting up at least 32.0 points, 7.0 assists, and 4.0 rebounds for a season, though he also played 10 fewer games than the next lowest man. The 6-foot-2 lead guard was averaging 32.2 points on 64.5% true shooting, knocking down 37.1% of his 11.3 three-point attempts per game adding 7.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds. Lillard, 32, was putting together arguably the best season of his career before being shut down with a calf injury as the team is one of just four Western Conference participants that are more than one loss out of the Play-In field. “This trade would deliver one of the best point guards in the business.” “They’ve had major point guard problems ever since losing Lonzo Ball to a knee injury last January,” notes Buckley.
#Chicago bulls Patch#
But Lillard could finally bring some stabilization to a Bulls’ backcourt trying to patch things together with 34-year-old Patrick Beverley.ĭamian Lillard Would Solve Bulls’ Point Guard Problem Just how much is always an underlying question whenever a blockbuster deal goes down. It might go without saying, but adding Lillard would almost certainly elevate their ceiling to some marked degree. That is 33% less than even the ninth-seeded Toronto Raptors. They boast the NBA’s fourth-best defensive rating and the eighth-best net rating in that span.Īccording to FiveThirtyEight, however, the Bulls have just a 19% chance of making the actual postseason as the current 10-seed – meaning moving past the Play-In Tournament. The Bulls are 10-7 since the All-Star break, a stark contrast from the five-game losing streak they went into it on. Ball would function mostly as a money-matcher, but he could be an impact floor general if he ever gets healthy. “Patrick Williams is a blue-chip prospect, Coby White is an interesting one, Dalen Terry is a wild card and three first-round picks are…well, three first-round picks. “If the Blazers are losing Lillard, that means they’re starting over and should seek as many picks and prospects as they can get,” Buckley speculates. They have held him out of trade talks but the thought is that, for a superstar-level player, they would include the talented youngster. He is their prized prospect, taken fourth overall in 2020. Terry is intriguing but unproven whereas things get interesting in this regard is Williams.
#Chicago bulls free#
White is going to be a restricted free agent after this year and might have played himself into a modest raise with some security from the Bulls. Chicago could easily have the sprinters needed to win nightly races to 125 points.”īulls center Nikola Vucevic is slated to be an unrestricted free agent which is, presumably, why he is not included in that equation, though he could always return if the price is right.īall’s NBA future has been put on hold as he tries to overcome a knee injury that has sidelined him since January of the 2021-22 season. “That’s a fair question, but with this level of offensive firepower, it might be a meaningless one. “Is there enough defense between Lillard, LaVine and DeRozan to make this work,” Buckley asks before answering.
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