NBA Trades: Risky potential Nuggets - Bulls swap could propel them to the Finals
By Cal Durrett
The Chicago Bulls have one of the more interesting rosters in the NBA. They have a blend of young talent and veterans, though they would probably prefer to move on from at least one of those veterans. .
Doing so would allow them to properly rebuild after several seasons spent just barely missing the playoffs. Despite their lack of success in recent years, they have appeared reluctant to rebuild and they have no doubt driven Bulls fans crazy with their lack of an apparent plan.
Despite their impressive team history, including a dominant run in the 1990s, the Bulls have been relatively unsuccessful over the last 30 years aside from the Derrick Rose teams in 2010-11 and 2011-12.
That long stretch of mediocrity would normally force a team to hit the drawing board much quicker but the Bulls are just now finally picking a path forward. Recently, Bill Simmons of the Ringer podcast suggested a fascinating deal involving the Bulls and Denver Nuggets.
The Nuggets are in desperate need of a big trade to help superstar Nikola Jokic, who has been playing up to and even beyond his MVP level to start this season. He is currently having the best season of his Hall-of-Fame-caliber career and is on pace to average a triple-double, becoming the first center to do so if that were to hold up over a long season.
Having Jokic carry the Nuggets this early on doesn't bode well for their prospects this season. After all, they are only sixth in the Western Conference, despite his fantastic play, proving that they are falling behind given their lack of talent. Worse still for the Nuggets, they also have several awful contracts that they need to get rid of in order to give him enough help.
Moving on from those awful deals would not only give the Nuggets relief since they are dangerously close to brushing up against the second apron. However, a trade could also help to ensure that they maximize his prime, which is slowly coming to a close with him about to enter his 30s. Given how he plays, if he is able to stay healthy, he could theoretically play like this for another 5 years but that would be the best-case scenario for Denver.
According to Simmons, this should potentially lead to a deal that benefits both the Bulls and Nuggets. Both teams may finish at opposite ends of the standings, with the Bulls likely tanking this season while Denver is trying to extend their title window for a few more years with Jokic being nearly 30 years old.
With both teams at different stages, is there a deal that would work for both teams and could be mutually beneficial? With Chicago loaded with veteran players and in the process of rebuilding and the Nuggets trying to make another deep playoff run, there appears to be a deal to be made.
Up next, we will take a look at Simmons' proposed deal and see whether it makes sense for the Bulls and then the Nuggets.