Do Chicago Bulls need to trade up in 2018 NBA Draft?
They have assets to trade
If there’s one thing the Chicago Bulls could have going for them in a potential trade-up scenario, it’s that they do have some capital to move around.
Thankfully, the Bulls were able to swing the No. 22 pick from the New Orleans Pelicans in the Mirotic trade, giving them two first-round picks to play with. And while that’s not going to be enough to move into, say, the top three, it could be enough to make a short move up the ladder to No. 5 or 6.
In particular, this could work if the teams above them may be covetous of a prospect they’re not looking to grab (I’ll be more specific about this a bit later).
Who should the Chicago Bulls select with the #7 pick overall assuming Ayton, Doncic, Bagley, Porter and Jackson are all off the table which is a very realistic scenario?
— Chicago Bulls Rumors (@chicagobullsbot) May 16, 2018
And on top of that, the Bulls do have some tradeable assets on their roster that could interest a team. For instance, both Robin Lopez and Justin Holiday have expiring contracts that a team might not mind taking on and flipping later. And Jerian Grant will be a restricted free agent after next season, giving a team essentially a one-year rental to figure out if he fits.
None of those guys are exactly world-beaters, though Lopez is a solid starter. But all of them could provide some depth to a team and could serve someone else’s tank aspirations just as well as they served the Bulls’.
They might have to do a lot of sweetening of the deal to make it happen, but combining the pick with a player package could work. If the Bulls were lucky, maybe they could even scrounge a second-round pick (present or future) out of a deal.