Should Chicago Bulls consider trading up for rising prospect Jaren Jackson Jr.?
Make the deal?
At this point, though, it’s hard to get behind the Chicago Bulls attempting to trade up for Jackson Jr. as things currently stand.
In order to convince yourself to do that, you have to ask yourself a couple of questions. For one, are you okay with forfeiting the No. 22 pick in the draft in order to move up for him?
On one hand, you could say that you don’t want anyone at No. 22 as much as you want to take Jackson and live with the consequences of only having one pick this year. And if Jackson turns out to be everything you hope, then I guess that will work itself out.
But we should acknowledge that the Chicago Bulls probably aren’t ready to end their rebuilding process and compete meaningfully just yet. And assuming that’s true, then trading away a draft asset to move up simply isn’t the most prudent thing to do.
Is Jackson that good to where he can change the fortunes of your franchise? Maybe. Maybe not. He has some NBA-ready skills, but he also requires a ton of seasoning, especially on the offensive end. Does that sound like something you’d feel comfortable want to trade away this year’s or future draft capital for?
Jaren Jackson Jr. is unreal on defense while also being able to consistently stroke pick-and-pop triples like this, the projected top five pick will also be just 18-years-old on draft day pic.twitter.com/VJc3L4KtFR
— Jake Paynting (@HowlsAndGrowls_) June 7, 2018
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The other part of this is: who else would the Bulls throw in to move up from No. 7? Because just giving away the No. 22 pick wouldn’t be enough.
I’d be fine with giving up Robin Lopez. As solid as he’s been for this team, he’s a veteran journeyman who most likely isn’t in this team’s long-term plans. But what if a potential trade partner in the top four asks for even more? What if they wanted someone like Bobby Portis or Kris Dunn in return?
Would the Bulls pull the trigger on that and ship over the No. 22 pick for the chance to draft Jackson (or anyone else)? Again, not convinced.
The only way the Bulls should consider moving up is if they could get away with keeping the No. 22 pick without giving up anyone too important or, at the very least, get a second-rounder in return. And if we’re talking about moving up into the top four to draft Jackson Jr.? Not sure that’s going to work.
Next: Should the Bulls pass on signing LaVine to max deal?
My guess is that the Chicago Bulls have probed, or will probe, the situation and ask what a team would want to potentially move up into the top four for Jackson Jr. But more than likely, that asking price will be too high, and the Bulls will have to hope that Jackson Jr. falls to them.
That scenario seems pretty unlikely, so the Bulls will probably just move on to whomever they were eyeing at No. 7 in the first place.
Jackson could be a really nice player for the Chicago Bulls, no doubt. But right now, I’m not sure he’s a guy you chain yourself to with your future on the line.