Portland Trail Blazers: 5 potential salary dump trades
By Ty Delbridge
2. Chicago Bulls
Why the Blazers make this trade
This deal sheds a ton of money for Portland and gets them well below the luxury tax.
Nikola Mirotic fits what the Blazers need for their power forward position. He is a 6’10″ power forward that can stroke it from 3. He is set to make $12.5 million this season and has a $12.5 million team option for next year.
Leonard, Harkless, and Vonleh have all fallen out of the rotation in Portland. They could find some new life in Chicago. These three players aren’t meaningful players for Portland. Mirotic would be able to come in and play right away.
Also coming with Mirotic is a 23-year-old wing, Paul Zipser. He is a 6’8 small forward who hasn’t seen much playing time in Chicago. And with Harkless going to the Bulls, Zipser would have an even harder time seeing the floor. Zipser has three more years left on his rookie deal and would be an excellent player to have on their team for cheap.
Why the Bulls make this trade
There have been rumors all season about Mirotic wanting to be traded and that the Bulls want to move him but only for a first-round pick. The Blazers give them one, or even two first-round picks. In this case, because the Blazers are sending back a lot of salaries, they could send two firsts. The Bulls are in rebuild mode and acquiring two first round picks, plus young talent might be an offer they can’t resist.
Harkless gives them a different type of wing who can play and defend multiple positions. He is 24 and has three more years left on his deal.
Meyers Leonard is a stretch-big and could help replace the loss of Mirotic. Without Mirotic, the Bulls don’t have a big that can space the floor, and Leonard gives them that option. He has three more years left on his deal. If Leonard can be a useful player, he will be on a favorable contract.
Vonleh is a young prospect and adds depth to their frontcourt. He was a former lottery pick who has yet to breakout. A team like the Bulls can take a chance on Vonleh these next couple seasons to see if he can be a good player. He is a restricted free agent, so they would have the first chance to re-sign him.