Chicago Bulls: 76ers big man Richaun Holmes would be an ideal trade target
The Chicago Bulls should make Philadelphia 76ers big man Richaun Holmes a high-priority trade target.
The Chicago Bulls are at the beginning of a rebuild and everybody knows it. As soon as John Paxson, Gar Forman and company traded Jimmy Butler, the rebuild was officially on. It is obviously important that the Bulls put themselves in a strong position to add young talent who can become superstars. However, those moves are not always available.
The Chicago Bulls also have to be aggressive on the edges of the roster by highlighting young players who fit the rebuild, even if they are not superstars.
Great trade partner
The Philadelphia 76ers have a lot of young talent on their roster, with a ton of their most valuable pieces being big men. The Sixers are going to have an issue finding enough playing time for these guys, and eventually paying them all. Instead of waiting for the problem to get worse, the Sixers would be wise to step up and fix the glut in the post soon.
Jahlil Okafor has been connected to the Bulls a lot in the past. He was the third-overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft and is a Chicago native. However, Okafor’s inability to compete on the defensive end has killed his value in the modern NBA.
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He can fill the stat sheet a bit from the post, but Okafor is extremely unlikely to ever become a starter on a championship contending team. Okafor does not make much sense for the Bulls, even if the price to acquire him is cheap. Instead, I would like for them to target another Sixers big man who was drafted in 2015, Richaun Holmes.
Who is Richaun Holmes?
Holmes is a 6-foot-10, 245-pound post player who the 76ers drafted with the 37th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. He has not been able to consistently crack the Sixers’ rotation but the 23-year-old Holmes has shown a lot of upside when on the court.
Holmes does not have great overall size for an NBA big but he fits the modern game extremely well. Holmes has great length and athleticism for the position, showing the ability to protect the rim and switch well on defense. A big man who can legitimately switch on to a guard is extremely valuable in today’s NBA and Holmes has shown the ability to do so.
He is also a tough and aggressive rebounder who is not afraid to mix it up inside. Holmes is the kind of player who every coach would love to have on their team. This guy will do all of the dirty work.
Holmes also runs the floor extremely well and can even hit an outside shot at times. Simply put, he is the perfect modern big who would likely thrive in Fred Hoiberg‘s offensive system. The 76ers are not going to give Holmes away for an extremely low price, but they do have a glut of talent on the front court. They would be wise to at least entertain offers for their young big man.
What’s the cost?
It is difficult to judge the value of Holmes at the moment. His upside is obvious but he has not proven much on an NBA court. However, I wonder if a package of Paul Zipser and Jerian Grant would be enough to entice Philly. They may not be interested in such a deal, but Zipser is a good outside shooter who could be a nice bench piece and Grant offers some security at point guard.
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The Chicago Bulls need to get creative and look on the edges to help with this rebuild. It is not all about acquiring superstar talent. When they are ready to compete, the Bulls are going to need complementary pieces as well. Holmes is an interesting modern big man who would fit in the rebuild extremely well. If nothing else, they need to check in on his availability.