The Chicago Bulls knew they needed an upgrade at point guard for the 2021-22 season, and they had their eyes on Lonzo Ball going back to last season. After failing to trade for Ball at the 2021 trade deadline, the Bulls made the guard their top priority in the summer. They struck fast, working out a four-year, $80 million sign-and-trade deal with the New Orleans Pelicans right at the start of free agency.

It might have been too fast, because Chicago could still wind up getting in trouble for tampering. It has been two and a half months since free agency opened, and the NBA hasn't yet released the results of that tampering investigation. There are rumblings that the Bulls could lose a first-round pick.

Even if that happens, the franchise is confident Ball proves to be worth the trouble. Given how hard they went after him for so long, they clearly believe in his ability to get Chicago to the next level.

There are plenty of reasons to believe this is true. While Ball will likely never be a superstar point guard, he's an obvious upgrade for the Bulls with the ideal skill set to complement the rest of the roster. On the latest episode of Blue Wire's Cash Considerations pod, Shamit Dua of Blue Wire's In The N.O. pod explained what makes Ball a great fit in Chicago:

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“He's definitely a ceiling raiser. I think with the Bulls and how they have Zach, they have DeMar DeRozan and even Alex Caruso, and Vucevic, all these guys who are really good at creating those breaks in the defense, creating those leverage points for Lonzo to take advantage of, it's a team that's uniquely suited to his strengths. … As long as Lonzo continues to do everything he's good at, which is push the pace, be a menace in transition, be a menace in the passing lanes … just all-around creating havoc. That's what my vision for Lonzo has been.”

Listen to the full Cash Considerations episode here:

Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast is part of the Blue Wire Podcast Network. The pod can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts.