One prediction for every NBA team at the NBA Trade Deadline
By Corey Rausch
Chicago Bulls – Buy
If the trade for Lonzo Ball is on the table the Chicago Bulls should jump at it. Especially if the cost is simply second-round compensation and either Thaddeus Young or Tomas Satoransky. Ball would pair well with either Zach LaVine or Coby White.
Ball would bring a defensive mindset that the Bulls have missed this season since the departure of Khris Dunn and Shaq Harrison in free agency. As good as LaVine and White can be offensively they give much of it back on the other end of the court. A stabilizing force on the same timeline as their other young players could go a long way.
Ball also does not get his just due as a shooter. Despite all of the jokes made at his expense, he is shooting 36.7 percent from beyond the arc on 7.3 attempts per game. On the Bulls, the only more prolific shooter is LaVine at 41.0 percent on 8.1 attempts per game. Markkanen’s hot streak has brought him into the conversation at 39.6 percent on 7.2 attempts per game.
Ball would fit right into the team immediately and would make them better. Even if it costs the team Markkanen that may not be the worst thing. Waiting on him to be healthy year in and year out leaves the Bulls in limbo. Coach Billy Donovan saw reasonable success with three-guard lineups a season ago. Reinventing that with Ball, LaVine and White would be a fascinating experiment.