As the Chicago Bulls prepare for the trade deadline, they need to take inventory not only of what they have on the roster but also of the potential players they could look to acquire in a deal. With how well they’ve been playing, they could look to push for the playoffs, but at the same time, they don’t seem to have enough assets to compete with the top teams in the East.
Earlier this season, the Bulls were focused on trading Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan is in the final year of his contract, making him a potential trade chip, too. Even if they look to trade one or both of those guys, they could still try to remain semi-competitive.
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report suggested that the Bulls look to make a deal for Toronto Raptors wing Gary Trent Jr.
“The Bulls have shown enough fight for the last month that they don’t need to be solely focused on finding draft picks,” Buckley wrote. “If they pick up a player, though, it should be someone they think has a chance to grow with them.
“Gary Trent Jr. could do just that.
“The 24-year-old would give a jolt to this perimeter attack (career 38.3 percent from distance), not to mention replace some of the offensive lost in a potential LaVine trade. Trent’s scoring output has sagged a bit this season, but he pumped in better than 15 points per night each of the past three seasons.
“His contract is expiring, so Chicago would need to decide pretty quickly whether he’s a keeper or not. If he helped steer this club into the postseason, though, that debate could be an easy one.”
Adding Trent Jr. to the mix next to Coby White, Patrick Williams, and others could be a nice get for the Bulls.
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