Potential Trade Targets to Improve Chicago Bulls' Depth at the Wing
The Chicago Bulls have built a very deep team, but their wing position has been a bit thin at times. A small trade could help them bolster their strength on the perimeter.
Jimmy Butler and Mike Dunleavy's backups haven't had the best showings this season.
Tony Snell is having a forgettable sophomore campaign, seeing close to nine minutes per game. Since Dunleavy's injury, Snell has played about three more minutes every night, but he failed to appear in one game despite there being a bit of room in the rotation.
Rookie Doug McDermott also had some serious struggles earlier this season before getting injured, and he’s not slated to return until late in January or early February if the six-week timetable stands, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
This has made the Bulls go small, using two-point guard lineups. Kirk Hinrich and Aaron Brooks have shared backup shooting guard duties, while Butler has slid up to small forward. It's one of the reasons Butler currently leads the league in minutes.
Tom Thibodeau has experimented with playing Nikola Mirotic at the 3, but it's a small sample size. Mirotic has a height advantage over most others while playing small forward; however, there's still a question on whether he can guard elite athletes on the perimeter.
Chicago doesn't have to make a big splash, but one small move could make it that much better.
Alonzo Gee
The Bulls could elect to go for an all-around player, and Alonzo Gee would fill that role pretty well.
The former Cleveland Cavalier was a full-time starter at one point, playing in all 82 games during the 2012-13 season. He's been in the shadows with the Denver Nuggets, though, averaging just 13 minutes per game.
Gee could give the Bulls another wing who can put the ball on the floor and attack the rim. He's a below-average career three-point shooter (33 percent), but he can still knock down the occasional deep ball, which would keep defenses honest.
Gee won't light up the scoreboard—his highest season scoring average is 10 points as a starter—but he can provide solid minutes. Given his 220-pound frame, Thibodeau could also turn him into a physical defender.
The Nuggets are stacked with perimeter players, with Gee near the bottom of the totem pole. He could probably be acquired for a second-round pick.
Jae Crowder
Jae Crowder was just part of the blockbuster Rajon Rondo trade, and while it's rare that a player is traded twice in one season, Crowder could be a perfect fit for the Bulls. The exchange could only be made a couple of days prior to the Feb. 19 deadline, though, since he was recently moved.
He has the hustle and heads-up play ability that Thibodeau reveres in his players. He's also a solid defender and rebounder for his position (4.8 per 36 minutes). His game is a bit reminiscent of Butler's, his former teammate in college.
Crowder can be a solid three-point shooter as well, as he shot 34 percent from outside during his time with the Dallas Mavericks. The 24-year-old can also work from the mid-range, knocking down 45 percent of his attempts from 16 feet out to the three-point line.
The former Marquette product has the potential to be a good role player, but because he has a cheap contract ($1.18 million qualifying offer this upcoming summer, per Spotrac.com), Boston may actually choose to keep him to see if he can carve out a place for himself on the team.
Chicago could get him for a second-round pick, but if the Celtics do want Crowder, the Bulls would probably have to include a future pick, most likely in the second round as well.
Maurice Harkless
There's a lot of potential in third-year forward Maurice Harkless, but he has been unable to realize his upside during his time with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Orlando Magic.
Harkless' best season was his rookie campaign, where he averaged 8.2 points per game. The following year in Orlando, he drastically improved his outside shooting, converting on 38 percent of three-point attempts, an 11 percent uptick.
Still, the 21-year-old has been unable to crack the rotation this year for the Magic despite an injury to rookie Aaron Gordon. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders spoke on Harkless' current situation during a Q&A:
"The problem is Moe does not play with "motor" — he never has. He didn't play that way in high school. He didn't play that way in college or at any point in his NBA career. He is very patient and methodical. He is very low key and somewhat passive as a personality and a player.
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What better coach to get him to unleash a high motor than Thibodeau?
At 6'8", 208 pounds, Harkless also has a seven-foot wingspan, giving him a ton of defensive upside, Thibodeau's specialty. Perhaps a change of scenery is what the former 15th overall pick needs. Kyler continued on Harkless' near future:
"As for a trade — maybe. I think it's very possible and would honestly be welcomed. No player wants to sit and be inactive, so if the Magic are not going to play him, he has to be somewhere else. He has not asked for a trade.
Here is the wrinkle. What do you get in return for him? He is not playing. He has not logged anything special this season and the staff has painted him pretty negatively.
With Aaron Gordon's status unclear and Tobias Harris hitting free agency — do you dump Moe now while his value is low or do you let other things play out knowing you have Moe as a safety net?
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Ultimately, regardless of Harris' free-agent decision, Gordon will be a big part of the Magic's future, leaving Harkless out of the picture. Kyler also speculated about Harkless and his coaches' relationship, saying "things have run their course" as they try to motivate him to play harder.
If that's true, the possibility he stays with the team is low. Chicago could use it as leverage to get Harkless for as low as a second-round pick.
There's a small probability the Bulls make a move and elect to sign a player now that 10-day contracts are fair game. But there are a few options out there that could be good short-term solutions and could pan out for the future.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and accurate as of Jan. 7.
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