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The NBA Draft Lottery was not exactly kind to the Chicago Bulls last week, as the Bulls ended up getting the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft in spite of having the fourth-best odds to land the No. 1 pick.
So, not only will the Bulls not have a shot at Zion Williamson, but they won't have a chance of landing Ja Morant or R.J. Barrett, either. For a team that is in desperate need of more young talent, that is awful news.
As a result, some are suggesting that Chicago could trade the No. 7 pick for a veteran, and vice president John Paxson seemed open to the idea when he said that “you can trade” draft picks, according to Mark Strotman of NBC Sports Chicago.
But is that a good idea?
Here are three reasons why the Bulls should not trade their first rounder.
3. Cost
Part of what makes a rebuilding team successful is keeping costs down, and what better way to keep costs down then by filling up your roster with players on rookie contracts?
Whomever the Bulls draft would be making peanuts for the first four years, which would be in stark contrast to any veteran Chicago could trade the pick for. Some have speculated Mike Conley, who is set to make $32.5 million next season and has a $34.5 million player option for the 2020-21 campaign.
Look: Chicago is not ready to win now, and they are not going to be ready to win for quite some time. Why add more salary to your roster when you can pick up a rookie who could potentially give you really solid production for limited money over the first four years of his deal? Then, if he does really well, you can re-sign him once he hits free agency.
2. Young Talent Takes Precedence
The Bulls actually have a pretty nice stable of young talent that includes Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter, Kris Dunn, and Chandler Hutchison, so why break that up?
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If Chicago goes for a player like Conley, they are obviously going to have to part with one of those young players. Plus, why not simply add another young piece to that group?
Generally, the top teams in the league all build through the draft, and unless you can get a superstar like Anthony Davis, you don't blow up your treasure chest of assets this early.
The Bulls literally just traded Jimmy Butler two summers ago because they wanted to start fresh, so why would they then trade a draft pick and other pieces for another aging star?
1. They Are Rebuilding
This should be pretty cut and dry. The Bulls are a rebuilding team. They are not a piece or two away from contending. They are coming off of a 22-win season. Someone like Conley is not going to suddenly transform Chicago into a title contender.
Again, if you are going to make a trade for someone like Davis, that's understandable, but for Conley or Jrue Holiday or a middling star like that? What's the point? Those guys aren't going to win you a title by themselves, and if anything, they are only going to stunt the development of your young players and potentially put you in treadmill mode, and that is the last place you want to be in the NBA,
The Bulls are doing just fine at their current pace. Nabbing LaVine and Dunn in the Butler deal back in 2017 was nice, and the draft picks of Markkanen and Carter (not to mention Hutchison) are looking pretty good right about now.
Why mess with it? Continue building with what you have, and maybe in a couple of years when you are finally ready to contend, then you make a move for a star. But right now? Just stay the course, Chicago.
