Chicago Bulls: 3 trades to help make a playoff push

Trade No. 2

One player who could fill in for Markkanen very nicely is Sacramento Kings forward Nemanja Bjelica. The Kings have been among several rumors for weeks now, with a couple of players specifically being mentioned. One of the more notable guys who very well could be moved is Bjelica.

In this deal, the Bulls would send non-used forward Denzel Valentine, point guard Ryan Arcidiacono and a future second round pick to Sacramento in exchange for Bjelica.

One thing I really like about this move is the potential for Chicago to actually improve its three-point shooting. Markkanen has this notion about him that he’s a known three-point shooter, but has only shot 34.4 percent from that distance this year. You look at Bjelica, and he’s knocking them down at a blistering 43.3 percent this season.

Bjelica is posting the same number of rebounds (6.5) as Markkanen in three less minutes, also. This would be a low-key move which could pay huge dividends, should the Bulls be in the playoff mix later in the season.

The other nice aspect of this deal is that Bjelica’s contract is modest: $6.8 million this year and $7.1 million next year (free agent in 2022).