Chicago Bulls: Should the team acquire Kyle Kuzma?

If Kyle Kuzma is indeed available, should the Chicago Bulls inquire about acquiring him via trade?

The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly listening to trade offers for forward Kyle Kuzma, so should the Chicago Bulls be in the mix to acquire him? There really isn’t an easy answer to that question, as it depends on a number of variables. For example, what would a potential trade package look like, or how would he fit in with the current roster? Finally, what kind of player would they be getting? The one who has been bitten by the injury bug this year and is only averaging 11.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 27 games? Or the one who averaged 18.7 points and 5.5 rebounds last year in 70 games?

Kuzma is twenty-four years old and still on his rookie deal which expires following next season, at which point he would become a restricted free agent in 2021. For the Bulls, they would have to be confident they could sign him to a long term deal before they could even entertain the idea of trading for him.

That’s because the Bulls are — despite their best efforts — still a few years away from being competitive and making a serious push for the playoffs. Therefore, trading for him for just the remainder of this year and next season would do little for this team. Especially when you’d likely have to part with players like Thaddeus Young and Kris Dunn, who have become defensive mainstays and have developed into leaders on the team.

Trading for Kuzma, whose skill set one could argue already exists on the team, would also create further instability in the roster. At some point, the Bulls have to develop their nucleus and maintain some level of continuity and consistency. Otherwise, they should just blow the whole thing up, and that doesn’t appear to be a viable option.

With all of that said, the team should absolutely conduct their due diligence. Perhaps the Lakers are more motivated — for whatever reason — to move Kuzma, and would be willing to sweeten the pot with a draft pick or a desirable contract that could provide the Bulls with more cap space next season.

At the end of the day, while it probably makes sense to inquire and feel out what a potential deal would look like, it appears other teams are already more aggressive suitors and appear to be more logical destinations. Besides all of that, do you trust John Paxson and Gar Forman to make the right decision or get the better end of a potential deal? On second thought, maybe they shouldn’t pick up the phone just to be safe.