The Chicago Bulls are pretty much a blank canvas right now. Most of the players will return, but there are new decision-makers in the front office and coaching staff, not to mention a new face of the franchise in Caleb Wilson.
Asset management and player development should be the two driving forces behind every single decision in the Windy City right now. As such, they should be looking to trade their own veterans and acquire others who also come with draft capital.
Considering that, they should make the most of Jalen Smith's expiring deal and the Los Angeles Lakers' need for frontcourt depth. According to Dan Woike of The Athletic, they're keeping an eye on the Bulls' veteran PF/C.
The Bulls should send Jalen Smith packing to Los Angeles
"Smith has some fans within the organization because he plays with motor and has worked himself into a pretty good outside shooter," Woike wrote. "But Smith is expensive (one-year, $9.5 million remaining on his deal) and undersized at 6 foot 8. The previous Bulls’ regime was a fan of his, which puts his actual availability into question."
From a basketball standpoint, there's no need to even consider trading Smith. He may not have lived up to the hype as a former lottery pick, but he's a reliable rotation player who has slowly but surely become a floor-spacer with his newfound shooting stroke.
He plays with high energy on both ends of the floor, and he gave the Bulls solid minutes off the bench last season. That said, he'll always be a bit of a tweener, and as Woike said, he's a bit too expensive for his role. As such, the Bulls shouldn't offer any resistance to sending him packing to Southern California.
The Lakers already added their big man of the future in the Walker Kessler trade, but they're not done in their pursuit of bruising forwards. Smith can play the P.J. Washington role next to Luka Doncic, mimicking his physicality on defense and the glass and his ability to stretch the floor with some corner threes here and there.
Given Smith's expiring deal and lofty contract, the Bulls shouldn't expect that much in return for his services. Then again, he may not fit the team's current timeline and priorities, and he'd also appreciate getting the opportunity to play for a playoff-caliber team for a change.
The Bulls should be open for business. Smith will most likely leave in free agency to play for a winning team, and letting him walk without getting anything in return is flat-out asset mismanagement. So, even if they can't get much in a trade for him, it's better than being empty-handed.
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