• A proposed trade sent Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams, and two first-round pick swaps to the Clippers for Kawhi Leonard
• Bulls fans hate the idea of doing that deal
• The Bulls missed the playoffs last season after losing in the play-in tournament
The Chicago Bulls need to find a way to return to the top of the NBA as soon as possible, but fans hate the idea of doing that by trading for Kawhi Leonard. Fans did not seem thrilled at a proposed trade that sent Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams, and two first-round pick swaps to the Clippers to acquire Leonard.
Mock Trade Idea 🚨#Bulls Receive: Kawhi Leonard#Clippers Receive: Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams, 2027/2029 1st rounds. Pick swaps. pic.twitter.com/d7cIexnvRm
— Die-Hard Chicago Bulls Fans (@DieHardCBfans) August 16, 2023
One fan brought up Kawhi’s injury history, “Why on gods green earth would you bring in a habitually injured player?”
Another fan said, “Just to have him play five games? I’m good.”
More people disliked the deal, “This makes no sense for Chicago.”
A fan joked about including DeMar DeRozan instead of LaVine, “Make it DeRozan so we win like Toronto did.”
Another fan brought up Kawhi’s injury history, “Last thing the Bulls need is a player that plays only 35 games a season.”
This hypothetical trade would see Chicago lose its most prolific players in years (LaVine) for a perenially injured Kawhi, who is a free agent next season. Throwing in Patrick Williams’ and his long-term upside, along with picks, seem ludicrous. Fans were right to hate this deal.
Leonard averaged 23.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 52 games last season. Unfortunately, his body gave out in the playoffs, as he couldn’t play more than two games in the Clippers’ five-game loss to the Suns.
What Moves Can The Bulls Make To Contend?
The Chicago Bulls went all-in on their roster in 2021, first trading for Nikola Vucevic and giving up valuable first-round picks that became Franz Wagner and Jett Howard, along with Wendell Carter Jr. They spent big money to get DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso that summer, creating a team that was top of the standings to start the 21-22 season.
Injuries nuked that core, as Caruso missed a lot of time and Lonzo hasn’t played since January 2021 and is ruled out for next season as well. Despite DeMar and Zach’s impressive numbers, the team has very little talent that can help them compete with the likes of the Celtics and Bucks. That was evident as they missed the playoffs last season.
Their best course of action is to blow it up and get maximum value for LaVine and DeRozan while they’re still good assets. If that’s the case, trades shouldn’t be win-now but lose-now, so they can rebuild in the future.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
