NBA Rumors: The Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks could be natural trade partners on draft night
If the Dallas Mavericks are ready to move on from Harrison Barnes, the Chicago Bulls could potentially emerge as a natural trade partner.
Let us look at what the Bulls have to offer.
Zach LaVine may be too expensive and fragile for the Bulls to risk any kind of max contract offer. But the Bulls can sign and trade the slam-dunk champion and streaky shooter as part of any deal for Harrison Barnes. Cuban still gets a marquee player who can fill the seats of his arena, playing alongside Dennis Smith.
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Although, if both teams want LaVine to be part of the deal, they’d have to wait until the offseason to make such a swap. Although, the Mavs could theoretically pick for the Bulls until the trade can officially become official.
The final icing on the cake for this blockbuster trade proposal is swapping the 5th pick with the 7th and 23rd pick. Gar and Paxson can grab Michael Porter Jr., Trae Young or even Luka Doncic (if he somehow slides), if any of the three drop to number 5. They can even pick Jaren Jackson Jr. if he’s available as a replacement for Robin Lopez, if they pick for need instead of best player available at the time.
The Chicago Bulls have a steal in Noah Vonleh, who can actually play small ball center in place of Robin Lopez. Vonleh defends the paint better as a shotblocker, too. The picks available at the 5th spot are crucial for the Bulls who don’t want to end up with some big man project who takes forever to develop.
The Dallas Mavericks can live with a great grab in say, Miles Bridges or Robert Williams or even Kevin Knox at the 7th pick and anyone they like at the 23rd. The trade is just too good for Cuban or even Paxson to pass up.
Must Read: 2018 NBA Draft: What should the Chicago Bulls do with the 7th pick?
But, it only happens if Paxson thinks Barnes is worth his max salary for the production he delivers (18.9 points and 6 rebounds or so only per game). If not, the Bulls can still wing a trade with Barnes for any top 15 pick with any team looking to shore up it’s frontline with a versatile stretch-four.
It can be an option for both the Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks