Chicago Bulls land Luka Doncic in these 3 trade packages
By Ryan Heckman
This past season, we saw plenty of big stories come from the 2018 NBA Draft class. Even the Chicago Bulls got in on the headlines.
Back in that draft, the Bulls selected Duke big man Wendell Carter Jr. at pick no. 7 only to trade him away this year in a deal that saw Chicago land All Star center Nikola Vucevic.
Just a two picks prior to Carter’s selection saw the Dallas Mavericks select guard Trae Young, who they ultimately dealt to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for the rights to Luka Doncic. Further up the draft board was no. 1 overall pick, Deandre Ayton, who is currently playing for the Western Conference title in Phoenix.
Back to Doncic, though, as his name might be the biggest name to come out of that class — and the biggest name we’ll focus on this summer as NBA fans. Monday morning, a report came out regarding doubts over Doncic’s future with the Mavericks.
While Luka Doncic intends to sign a supermax extension with the Mavericks this summer, “dysfunction” in the front office and the team’s inability to build a contender “could impact his current desire” to stay in Dallas long-term, per @tim_cato and @sam_amick pic.twitter.com/OjTm3frrPi
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 14, 2021
Doncic is eligible for the coveted super max extension this summer, and has intended to sign it, but now there may be some doubt around whether or not he wants to stay in Dallas for the long haul.
There is growing tension between Doncic and Director of Quantitative Research and Development, Haralabos Voulgaris, according to the report via The Athletic.
Since joining the Mavericks in 2018, Voulgaris has apparently found favor within the organization — so much favor that he’s been reportedly been trusted as the guy who signs off on everything from hiring, to personnel and player transactions, to even setting nightly rotations.
This kind of power over seemingly the entire Mavericks organization has not sat well with Doncic, and some wonder now if he’ll want out. Owner Mark Cuban tweeted his displeasure with the report this morning, calling it “total bulls***.”
Believe who you may, but this story isn’t going away until something concrete happens. And, if Doncic’s name does indeed hit the trade rumors, every team in the league will be calling — including the Bulls.
In a hypothetical world, what would it take for the Bulls to land a superstar like Luka? Let’s dive in.