Chicago Bulls: 3 trades to consider with New Orleans Pelicans

Trade No. 1

This first deal is quite the expensive one for each team. For the Bulls, they would receive a pair of veterans in point guard Jrue Holiday and power forward Derrick Favors. In return, New Orleans would get forward Otto Porter Jr. and shooting guard Zach LaVine.

The money matches up almost perfectly in this one, as Porter’s contract pays him roughly $27 million this season. Meanwhile, LaVine’s deal is paying him $19.5 million. Next year, though, Porter has a player option which he would likely opt into, paying him more than $28 million. LaVine’s contract is steady through the 2021-2022 season paying him the same salary in each year.

With Holiday, the Bulls would take on his $26 million salary this year and next year, while he has a player option for 2021-2022 that would pay him just over $27 million. The one silver lining, here, is that Favors’ deal is up after this year. He’s being paid $17.65 million for the current season.

While it would be tough to see LaVine and Porter go, there are reasons to put them out there on the block. LaVine has played some incredible basketball this year, but is still a liability on defense. In fact, he might be one of the worst defenders in all of basketball, statistically speaking.

Porter hasn’t been healthy for the entirety of this season either, and shedding that contract would be valuable. Putting Porter and LaVine together with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram going into next season would definitely be intriguing for the Pelicans.