The Chicago Bulls have had a relatively quiet offseason, but they might have a big move up their sleeves.
After another play-in exit, the Bulls are looking to make some moves and perhaps get into the playoffs again next season in a weak Eastern Conference. To make that happen, they might need to try making a splash in the trade market.
One way the Bulls could do that is by sending Nikola Vucevic to Boston in exchange for Anfernee Simons, as suggested by Celtics Blog’s Jason Issenberg. The move would be a simple one-for-one and solve some key issues for both teams.
For Chicago, getting another quality scoring guard with potential is a no-brainer, especially with the low risk with Simons being on an expiring deal. With Vucevic on the way out, the Bulls could even experiment with recent draft picks like Matas Buzelis and Noa Essengue as small-ball fives.
Meanwhile, the Celtics have an obvious motive to do this deal, as they currently don’t have a starter-quality big man. With Kristaps Porzingis in Atlanta, Luke Kornet in San Antonio and Al Horford likely finding a new home soon, the Celtics have been searching for their man in the middle, and Vucevic could be the answer.
Considering how the Bulls have been looking for a Vucevic trade partner for some time now, getting a valuable player like Simons in return would be a dream scenario, even if the Bulls have some backcourt talent already. While the pairing of Simons and Coby White could be a bit redundant, having two players of that caliber gives the Bulls a special scoring punch, especially if Josh Giddey comes back to help facilitate.