The Chicago Bulls have a vision in place moving forward. Though fans and the rest of the NBA have yet to see it develop, the first step has been taken this offseason.
On Saturday, the six-time NBA champions announced they are trading Lonzo Ball to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Isaac Okoro.
The defensive specialist carries a cap hit of about $11 million, but Ball's was nearly the same with $10 million. The Bulls viewed Ball expendable after a number of missed games in the 2024-25 NBA season.
With the Cavaliers experiencing another second-round playoff exit, they, too, felt the need to make a move.
What the Bulls Get Back in Isaac Okoro
Chicago gains a player who can play on the wing. The small forward has developed a three-point shot since first coming into the league. In his rookie season, Okoro had made just 29% of his shots from behind the arc.
However, he has improved drastically from deep, averaging 38% over the past two seasons. The former Auburn Tiger was the fifth overall pick in the 2020 draft. Current Bulls forward Patrick Williams was taken one pick before Okoro.
Cleveland ranked 12th in points per game allowed last year with 112.4 per contest. Chicago was third worst in the league with 119.4, better than only the Utah Jazz and the Washington Wizards (both top five lottery teams this NBA Draft).
The Bulls add depth on the wing to complement Ayo Dosunmu, Kevin Huerter, and Dalen Terry. Okoro still has two years remaining on his three-year deal he signed last year with Cleveland.
Why the Bulls Felt Like Ball Was Expendable?
Since joining Chicago, Ball has played only 70 regular-season games. He missed two entire seasons in between his first and his last.
The Bulls have Josh Giddey and Coby White as their starting guards, and can still bring back Tre Jones in free agency.
Okoro has played in 26 postseason games over the past three seasons. That's 26 more than the Chicago Bulls have played as a whole in that time span.
The Cavaliers viewed Okoro as an unnecessary piece to their roster going forward. Okoro's minutes dropped significantly last year. Once averaging 27 minutes per game, he saw an average of 19 per game last season.
No longer wanting to be stuck in Play-In purgatory, Chicago sent Ball packing for a consistent on-ball defender. The five-year NBA veteran averaged less than half a turnover while playing in 55 games for Cleveland, while shooting above 46% from the field, too.
While the Bulls make another trade revamping their roster, this one makes more sense in terms of what they get back. Many criticized Chicago's front office for moving both DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine in separate trades. Neither merited a return such as the trade involving Alex Caruso.
This time, Chicago got wiser, and the Bulls have an affordable player to solve some of their defensive woes. Expect more to come this summer.