Hello, Hoops Heads! Here are the latest NBA trade rumors.
NBA Trade Rumors: The Golden State Warriors are targeting Nikola Vucevic.
The struggling Golden State Warriors are in desperate need of trade help after hitting a rough patch this season. That makes their interest in Chicago Bulls star Nikola Vucevic unsurprising, with him having a strong season, averaging 20.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, and shooting 40.3% from three.
Golden State's interesting Vucevic is complicated by the fact that they have been awful over the last 30 games, going just 10-20 and finding themselves only 11th in the Western Conference. As a result, trading a first-round pick for Vucevic doesn't make a lot of sense.
However, they could potentially still make a deal for him depending on the other offers the Bulls receive for Vucevic. After acquiring Dennis Schroder for three second-round picks, it's possible that the Bulls may not receive a first for one of their best players.
Particularly with most playoff teams already having a starting center in place and the ones that don't not having a first-round pick or tradeable salary needed to get a deal done. That could work in Golden State's favor. If they can scrounge up enough assets to make a trade with the Bulls, they could add a starting center who could score in the post, from outside, and crash the glass on the cheap.
NBA Trade Rumors: The Chicago Bulls may trade Phoenix Suns star Bradley Beal.
Speaking of the Bulls, they have been linked to Phoenix Suns star Bradley Beal by ESPN's Brian Windhorst. Beal has seen his name come up in trade rumors recently, with him needing to be traded to facilitate a deal that would allow the Suns to acquire Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat.
However, there have been rumblings that the Suns could instead target Bulls star Zach Lavine in a deal instead. The Bulls swapping LaVine for Beal would be risky for both sides. LaVine is definitely having a better season between the two players and is 3 years younger, making him a more viable player.
Nevertheless, he is on a bad contract, and the Bulls may not be able to find another team willing to take him unless they agree to acquire another bad contract. Taking back Beal, who arguably has a worse contract and is already on the decline, wouldn't make much sense for a rebuilding team. That is unless the Suns agreed to add a first-round pick to make a deal happen.
Given Butler being suspended for a third time by the Heat, it seems inevitable that he will be traded in the next 10 days. The Suns still remain the most likely landing spot, with the Bulls perhaps being the third team needed to make a trade happen.