Chicago Bulls: Cases for and against Russell Westbrook trade
By Ryan Heckman
The Bulls need a star
The first and most obvious reason why the Bulls should go after Westbrook is pretty simple. He brings the city of Chicago something they have been lacking since the prime days of Derrick Rose.
Westbrook is a star.
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For those about to mention Jimmy Butler, I’ll argue that he wasn’t quite a superstar just yet — he may not be exactly that, still.
For three straight seasons, Westbrook has averaged a triple-double. That is unheard of in today’s NBA. He is a walking, talking highlight reel. The things he does on a nightly basis are that of super heroes at the pro level.
Westbrook would immediately change the face of this team’s future. The Bulls go from potentially competing for an eighth seed to a team the Eastern Conference must watch out for. Of course, a lot of the talk has been of the Bulls giving up a guy like Otto Porter along with other assets.
This means the Bulls would keep Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen, along with Wendell Carter Jr. Westbrook would totally transform the outlook for the Bulls if added to this core. They would be a no-doubt playoff team with the chance to compete for Eastern Conference supremacy against the likes of Milwaukee and Philadelphia.