Chicago Bulls: 3 players worth trading up for

Tour de Force

The last player I believe is worth trading up for might come as a bit of a surprise. Currently, Mo Bamba is not universally expected to go inside the top three. However, the idea of him being one of the top four players off the board is starting to pick up steam. Additionally, if after your evaluation you believe a player is elite, you go get him. It doesn’t matter what the “experts” say.

It’s easy to see why he is flying up draft boards, and why he is highly coveted. He is arguably the best defender in the entire draft. He is 7-feet tall and sports a jaw-dropping 7-foot-10 wingspan. As expected, with that size, he is a menace to opposing offenses. He can be a highly disruptive force inside the paint, blocking and altering shots. However, he is also athletic enough to guard out near the perimeter since he can quickly close out on shooters.

Speaking of his athleticism, Bamba turned heads during his workout for the Bulls, when he ran a 3/4 quart sprint in 3.04 seconds. For context, that is faster than Russell Westbrook, Dwyane Wade, and John Wall. Let that sink in for just a second.

Bamba could conceivably turn out to be the best player in this draft. At a minimum, he’ll be an elite defender for years and likely a consistent double-double type player. Based on his floor and incredibly high ceiling, he is definitely someone the Bulls should consider if they decide to trade up.

Next: Chicago Bulls Big Board for 2018 NBA Draft

Bottom Line

The Bulls may be on the verge of making an aggressive move into the top three or four picks of the draft. If the reports are true, then they most certainly have their eye on at least a couple of players.  Hopefully, they are not players that are likely to be available at no. 7 or have significant question marks (I’m looking at you, Michael Porter Jr. and Trae Young). In reality, there are only a few options that would be worth the potential cost.