3 trades for the Chicago Bulls to move up in 2022 NBA Draft

The Chicago Bulls could make a trade up with the Portland Trail Blazers

Lastly, the Bulls could end up solving their Nikola Vucevic dilemma by trading him to the Portland Trail Blazers. Vucevic is a very talented center and offers plenty of positives. At times, he can be a phenomenal three-point shooter and rebounder. But, he was far too inconsistent to get it done for the Bulls on a nightly basis this past season.

Here’s the thing. The Blazers have cap space. They have All Star guard Damian Lillard. If they could pair Lillard with Vucevic and another top-tier free agent, the Blazers could be right back into the mix in the Western Conference.

Another aspect of the Blazers getting Vucevic is the fact that they are losing Jusuf Nurkic this summer, as he is a free agent. Getting a solidified starting center with an All Star background would be a heck of a replacement.

On the Bulls’ side, they would end up moving all the way to no. 7 — a familiar spot for Bulls fans in recent years. The Bulls would also get the Blazers’ second-round pick. In Portland’s mind, this trade immediately sets them up to become a playoff team if they can add the right free agents this summer, so dealing draft capital is worth it.

At seven overall, the Bulls could possibly add someone like Iowa’s Keegan Murray, who would be a dream at that spot as he’s a projected top-5 pick by many. Kentucky’s Shaedon Sharpe would also be a great pick, here.

If the Bulls wanted to get bold, this trade would certainly qualify. The only question going forward, is who will replace Vucevic in the starting lineup.