Chicago Bulls: It’s time to trade for Jrue Holiday

Now that Anthony Davis has been traded to Los Angeles…the time has come for the Chicago Bulls to make their own splash via trade.

The National Basketball Association sure is an interesting league and the Chicago Bulls should take advantage. Just days after the Toronto Raptors scored an improbable victory over the vaunted Golden State Warriors to capture their first NBA Championship, the league is already making news again in the aftermath of the blockbuster trade that sent New Orleans Pelicans superstar and Chicago’s very own Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers, pairing him with all-time great LeBron James.

In order to acquire Davis, the Lakers traded point guard Lonzo Ball, forward, Brandon Ingram, and guard Josh Hart, along with the No. 4 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft and three additional first round picks in the coming years. So what does this mean for the Chicago Bulls? It may just represent the opportunity they need to acquire a veteran point guard capable of leading the young Bulls.

While reports are already surfacing that the Pelicans plan on pairing both Ball and Jrue Holiday in the same backcourt, perhaps the Bulls can put together an enticing enough trade package to convince New Orleans to make a deal.  Holiday represents the type of player that the Bulls are in short supply of.  A play-making and defensive oriented veteran who will immediately begin to make the young Bulls core better.

In the 2018-2019 season, Holiday posted per game averages of 21.2 points, 7.7 assist, and 5 rebounds.  Defensively, he stole the ball at a clip of just under two per game and could be counted on to consistently put pressure on the ball in a full court or half court setting.  With a team full of young talent already, an argument can be made that what these Bulls need are talented, tough, and competitive veterans to help them develop and compete in the Eastern Conference.

So what will it take to get him? Firstly, Holiday doesn’t come cheap.  He is currently due $26 Million over the next couple of seasons, making him a fairly expensive option at point guard.  The Bulls currently have approximately $24 Million in practical cap space heading into next season, which isn’t terrible but doesn’t give the team enough financial flexibility to target the right player in free agency or via trade.  This means that they will need to get creative.

Recent rumors have indicated that the Bulls may be willing to part with any player on the roster not named Lauri Markannen or Wendell Carter Jr.  This may benefit both ball clubs in a trade, as the Bulls could send a package of Zach LaVine ($19 Million cap hit) and the No. 7 overall pick for Holiday and the No.4 overall pick.  The Bulls may have to add an additional player or draft pick to make this scenario work, but nevertheless, the trade is plausible.

This makes both ball clubs better in the short and long-term, as the Pelicans would gain the freakishly athletic and high scoring LaVine as their shooting guard of the future.  This pairs him with Ball, Ingram, and eventual No. 1 draft pick Zion Williamson, forming a stellar young nucleus for New Orleans to build around.  Couple that with the No. 7 pick and the Pelicans will be the envy of the league from a youth, talent, and depth perspective.  Not bad when all seemed doomed for them prior to the NBA Draft Lottery.

The Bulls, on the other hand, get Holiday and the No. 4 overall pick, which they can then use to draft the best player available.  The list of players who may be available at No. 4 includes D’Andre Hunter, Jarrett Culver, Coby White, Darius Garland, and Cam Reddish.  It’s time for the Bulls to reclaim their mantle as one of the preeminent franchises in this league and what better way than to make a splash by acquiring exactly what the team needs in a player of Jrue Holiday‘s caliber.

It’s a win-win situation…either Holiday makes them better and the Bulls contend over the next several seasons or they don’t, giving the organization clarity moving forward.  Bulls fans are thirsting for a winner and the time has come to get aggressive and give the fans what they’ve been patiently waiting for over the last several years.