Bad contract trades the Chicago Bulls should pursue to add long-term assets
Trade with New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans signed Omer Asik to a five-year contract worth nearly $58 million in the 2015 offseason. He was supposed to play alongside Anthony Davis throughout the length of his contract, but the NBA quickly went small and Asik was not able to see the court as much.
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Players with his powerful skillset simply do not have the same value that they once did. Now that the Pelicans have also acquired DeMarcus Cousins, Asik barely sees the court but he still has a bloated contract that prevents the Pelicans from making many moves. They would love to move on from Asik, giving them more space to build around Davis and Cousins.
In this trade, the Pelicans get rid of Asik’s long-term contract but take on Dwyane Wade’s big salary for 2017-18. Wade would be a nice compliment to Davis and Cousins for a year and could perhaps be a key for the Pelicans, especially if they make the postseason.
Wade’s big cap hold is not key, but he is only under contract for one year. Next offseason, they would lose Wade’s salary and no longer have Asik on the books. I can see why this would appeal to them.
In exchange for taking on Asik, the Bulls get an interesting wing in E’Twaun Moore. Moore grew up in the Chicago area and like Asik, played for the Bulls in the recent past. He has shown some nice upside over the past couple of years and particularly took his game to the next level with the Pelicans last season. He is a strong perimeter defender who also shoots well from the outside.
At 28 years old, Moore would not be a major part of the Chicago Bulls future, but he would be a solid guy to have around throughout the rebuild. He would also be a strong piece that the Bulls could flip for other assets. In this trade, they would also receive a heavily-protected first-round pick. If the Pelicans are good with Wade added to their mix, the Bulls probably get their first-round pick. If not, it probably turns into a couple of second rounders.