Bulls' Players to Target in 2023 NBA Draft-Day Trades
The 2023 NBA offseason looms as a crossroads for the Chicago Bulls.
If they're still aiming to compete with this core, they need to find some external upgrades, fill the void created by the injured Lonzo Ball and re-sign Nikola Vučević. But if they're unconvinced in this group's championship potential, they could let Vučević walk, shop their veterans for long-term assets and focus on finding the centerpieces of their next chapter.
Regardless which direction they take, the upcoming draft won't be much help. Not initially, at least. The Bulls don't own a pick, so they'll need to make a move to get involved.
That could happen, though, and Chicago has some flexibility on the trade front. It could make a move for a pick in this draft or pluck away players from teams who use the talent grab to pivot into a youth movement.
If the Bulls make a move on draft night, this is what they should be trying to get.
A Draft Pick
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No matter where the Bulls head from here, they need to find more young (and cheap) talent.
Patrick Williams has seemingly stagnated in is development. Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu aren't guaranteed to return from restricted free agency. Dalen Terry, last year's No. 18 pick, barely hit the hardwood as a rookie (214 minutes).
Trading into this draft would open the door to new possibilities.
In a best-case scenario, the Bulls would stumble into their next building block, but that doesn't have to be the focus. The franchise would help itself simply by adding a cost-controlled role player or a trade sweetener to help acquire established talent.
Delon Wright
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If the Bulls are aiming for maximum competitiveness—their interest in keeping Vučević suggests they are—they have to improve at the point guard position.
They haven't been the same since Ball initially hurt his knee, and at this point, they shouldn't plan on ever getting him back. While it's almost impossible to replace his combination of passing, shot-making and defense, Chicago would do well to find someone who checks even a couple of those boxes.
Delon Wright has just about everything other than shooting in his arsenal. He's a versatile defender and downhill attacker with more than three times as many assists (3.1 per game) as turnovers (1.0) in his career. He's becoming slightly more viable from distance, too, averaging 0.8 triples on 36.6 percent shooting the past two seasons.
The 31-year-old might be obtainable, too. The Washington Wizards have overhauled their front office and might finally be ready to embrace a rebuilding project that's felt inevitable for a few years now.
Fred VanVleet (Sign-and-Trade)
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It's possible a sign-and-trade for Fred VanVleet sits just outside of Chicago's price range, but it's close enough that the Bulls shouldn't rule themselves out of the sweepstakes.
Not when VanVleet, who hails from nearby Rockford, Illinois, looks like such an awesome fit on paper.
By virtue of is 6'1" frame, the 29-year-old won't offer the same defensive utility as Ball or Wright, but he at least competes on that end. And on offense, he's miles more valuable as a scorer and creator.
VanVleet just pumped in 19.3 points per game (to go along with a career-high 7.2 assists), and those were his fewest in three seasons. He's a lights-out shooter from distance (career 37.3 percent on high volume), and his limitations inside the arc would be easily managed by an offense featuring mid-range masters such as Vučević and DeMar DeRozan.
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