2 unrealistic trades Chicago must try for in 2022 NBA offseason

The Chicago Bulls finally returned to the playoffs this past season after a four-year absence. While the Bulls got smoked by the Milwaukee Bucks in five games, it was still a good season for them. As they prepare for a summer where the biggest story will be Zach LaVine and his new contract, the Bulls must look to other ways to improve the roster, including using the mid-level exception worth around $10 million for next season.

However, another important way would be trades. There have been plenty of Rudy Gobert trade rumors out there, but we are not going to talk about him here. Instead, let’s look at two unrealistic trades the Bulls must try to make in the 2022 NBA offseason.

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Unrealistic Bulls Trades In 2022 NBA Offseason 

Bulls get John Collins; Hawks get Nikola Vucevic

The Bulls could use some change in the frontcourt. Vucevic is still a very good player, but he declined this past season and does not really work out long term with what the Bulls want to do. Also, he is an expiring deal, so getting any sort of value would be great for Chicago.

John Collins is a player Atlanta is looking to trade, and it is surprising there has been no trade yet. The Hawks have dangled him in trade talks with many teams around the league, but they have not found anything to their liking just yet. Still, it seems like a foregone conclusion that he is gone.

For the Bulls, they should try to get Collins without trading Vucevic, though their salaries do match up pretty well here. Since Collins is around seven years younger than Vucevic and on a long-term deal, Chicago’s front office could look to use this trade to show Zach LaVine it is not afraid to pull moves to make the team competitive for years to come.

Right now, truth be told, Collins is a downgrade in some regards, but his potential is enough to get Bulls players and fans on board with this deal. Being 24 years old, Collins is also much more in line with the 26-year-old LaVine, 24-year-old Lonzo Ball, 22-year-old Patrick Williams, and 20-year-old Ayo Dosunmu. Thus, this trade makes perfect sense for Chicago.

For the Hawks, this is a bit trickier because they already have Clint Capela at center and are looking to upgrade their defense around Trae Young. This trade would not really fix that problem, even though Vucevic is a good player and better than Capela in a vacuum. Playing Vucevic and Capela together would not be ideal, so perhaps Capela could be moved or Vucevic could be flipped. There is also the possibility of trying to work in a third team here so Vucevic can go elsewhere and the Hawks get a better fit for their roster.

Vucevic would bring some financial flexibility as an expiring deal, and this Hawks roster is starting to get expensive. They have already started making changes to their core, with more clearly on the way.

Bulls get Paul George; Clippers get DeMar DeRozan

If the Bulls really want to improve, they have to make some tough moves. One of these would be trading away fan favorite DeMar DeRozan, whom they just signed last summer. DeRozan should not be involved in most trades, but this is a deal that the Bulls must at least look at, even if the Clippers are not really looking to trade Paul George right now.

The Bulls do this deal because it makes them a more versatile team. We should never underestimate the level of basketball at which DeRozan played last season. However, it was only offensively, as the defensive end is often a struggle for him. With George there, the Bulls could look to have a more versatile wing to pair up with LaVine, while also having potential for some killer defensive lineups. Caruso, Dosunmu, Ball, and George are all amazing defenders, and if they were to use the MLE on a defensive-minded big, the Bulls would have some great options, especially defensively. Again, losing DeRozan would anger some fans, but the team would ultimately be better off.

With the Clippers’ side of the coin, this deal does not make as much sense because they are already a title contender when healthy and there is no evidence George is available unless it is for an unquestionable upgrade. While DeRozan is awesome, he is not exactly that, though he is still a legitimately great scorer and the Clippers did try to bring him home to LA last offseason. George has had his injury issues of late and some down moments, but he is still one of the best two-way players in the league.

Ultimately, there is little reason to expect this deal to come to fruition, but the Bulls can always ask.