The Chicago Bulls make the most of a win-now opportunity and acquire Damian Lillard by routing Zach LaVine to the Knicks.
Damian Lillard seems headstrong in his desire to be traded from the Portland Trail Blazers and end up on the Miami Heat. But as we move closer to the start of training camp, the Blazers and Heat still aren’t close to agreeing on a price for this trade. With the possibility of a list of destinations opening up, the Chicago Bulls have thrown their hat into the mix.
The Bulls can acquire Lillard by creating enough assets to beat any Heat offer by partnering up with the New York Knicks and sending them one of their star players.
Trade Details
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: RJ Barrett, Patrick Williams, Evan Fournier, 2024 First Round Pick (DAL), 2025 First Round Draft Pick (NYK), 2026 First Round Pick (CHI), 2028 Second Round Pick (CHI)
New York Knicks Receive: Zach LaVine
Chicago Bulls Receive: Damian Lillard
Walking away with three unprotected first-round picks for a 33-year-old point guard, along with two young players with room to grow would be a massive win for the Blazers. This comfortably beats out any offer Miami can put together and could entice Dame to team up with other ring-less veterans like DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic in one of the biggest markets in the NBA.
The Portland Trail Blazers Commit To Their Rebuild
The Portland Trail Blazers have a lot of young assets they have invariably acquired in the last two seasons by virtue of either tanking because Lillard was injured or because the roster just wasn’t good enough. Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe are the backcourt of the future, with this trade adding the right pieces to complement this rebuild.
R.J. Barrett averaged 19.6 points and 5.0 rebounds last season but disappointed in the playoffs once again. The Knicks need to move on from him as they have progressed faster than his s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 set has. He is still supremely talented and a change of scenario could lead to him further developing as a player. He would slot in at the wing perfectly for the Blazers and could become a featured player as the young backcourt develops.
Evan Fournier would be a salary dump, for which the Knicks would have to part with a pick regardless of where they sent him.
Patrick Williams would add a frontcourt piece to a roster with a lot of talented young guards and swingmen. The former No. 4 overall pick never got to develop properly on the Bulls with their discombobulated competitive timeline and unfortunate injuries. The Blazers would be the perfect spot for him to find the All-Defense level of talent he was projected to have. He averaged 10.2 points and 4.0 rebounds last season.
The New York Knicks Add A Burst Of Offense
The New York Knicks have had their best spell of the last 20 years in the last few seasons, spearheaded by Julius Randle. With Jalen Brunson arriving last season and transforming the team, it’s time the Knicks add another piece to supercharge their offense, something that held them back in the playoffs.
Zach LaVine averaged 24.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists last season in what many considered a down year. LaVine cannot lead a team on his own, but the Knicks have a lot of established winning pieces that have already built a strong culture. LaVine could be the perfect addition for a team whose offense can end up looking really wooden at times, especially in the playoffs.
Giving up Fournier would make no material change to how the Knicks play. Giving up on Barrett’s upside and gritty defense will be a loss, but the team has a very cogent defensive structure within which LaVine could have success, as he showed great defensive flashes in the 2021-22 season.
The Chicago Bulls Take Their Biggest Step Towards Winning In Years
The Chicago Bulls’ acquiring Damian Lillard would catapult them back into the mix for contention atop the NBA. DeMar DeRozan’s game has been very polished in recent seasons, as he averaged 24.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.1 assists last season and was one of the best mid-range scorers in the NBA. Adding a three-point threat and playmaker like Lillard on the roster as it’s presently constructed would make them a threat in the East.
Lillard averaged a career-high 32.2 points last season, adding 4.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists along with that. With the team bringing back Nikola Vucevic, it’s clear they want to continue pushing in a win-now direction.
This does leave them depleted in the frontcourt, but Dalen Terry and Terry Taylor could blossom with some opportunity. They can also make additional deals to bolster their frontcourt strength, given they have a full suite of picks available to trade after paying off the Vucevic trade by giving the Magic the 11th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, which became Jett Howard.
This Trade Is A Win For Everyone Involved
These moves do not complete the rosters of the teams that get involved but help them take a massive step forward in their respective directions. The Knicks acquire a star-quality offensive talent while maintaining a lot of the promising future assets still on their roster, be it their dearth of draft capital or young players on their roster. Instead of waiting around for another year to see a superstar become available and go all-in, they can acquire LaVine and still save assets for a future star if it doesn’t work out.
The Blazers can embrace their rebuild and put together one of the most exciting young rosters in the NBA. Scoot Henderson can shine without the Blazers being forced to acquire another guard in a deal while adding versatile players like Barrett and Williams who have multi-positional utility and upside due to their age.
The Bulls will make a statement of intent and push toward the relevance that has eluded them since the Derrick Rose era ended in the city. It allows Lillard to take one of the most passionate fanbases in the NBA on his back and push toward competitiveness.
