Chicago Bulls: Three trades to consider before the trade deadline
By Ryan Taylor
Adding a true point guard would be very smart for the Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls need a true point guard, and this has been known since Bulls fans have witnessed Coby White fail to facilitate other players. Since Lonzo Ball has reportedly hit the trade block, it would make perfect sense for the Bulls to try to swap guards.
It’s a given that the Bulls have a major interest in acquiring Ball from the Pelicans. They already offered Tomáš Satoranský and a second-round pick which the Pelicans rejected.
Sadly, a swap between White and Ball is impossible for the Bulls due to cap space issues, according to the tradenba.com trade simulator. Chandler Hutchinson would make a fine piece to balance out the trade and offer more value.
Coby White would give the Pelicans a younger guard to restart their team with again. White is a great scorer, averaging 15.2 points per game in just the second year of his career in the NBA. He is shooting 41.1 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from distance, and nearly 90 percent from the free-throw line. His defense is atrocious, sporting a 115 defensive rating and a -1.9 defensive box plus/minus but the Pelicans could work with him during their rebuild.
Ball fills a lot of missing gaps for the Bulls. He is a true facilitator, averaging a career average of 6.4 assists per game and a 27 percent assist percentage. He can also run well in transition. He is excellent at protecting the basketball, averaging just 2.5 turnovers per game in his career. This season he ranks 40th in the NBA in assist/turnover ratio.
Another thing Ball brings is perimeter defense. He has a career 110 defensive rating and a positive career defensive box plus/minus, meaning he is a great defender of opposing guards. White has failed to slow down his matchups this season, letting back-ups like Ty Jerome and Delon Wright bully him on defense.