Getty Lonzo Ball of the Chicago Bulls watches the game courtside.
I t’s no secret the Chicago Bulls could use a solid starting point guard.
The Bulls added veteran Patrick Beverley via the buyout market in February, but he’s a free agent and will likely land elsewhere. He’s also nearly 35. They also have Ayo Dosunmu, who is going into his third-year.
Dosunmu has started 91 games over his two seasons in the NBA and has averaged 8.7 points, 2.9 assists and 2.8 rebounds in just over 26 minutes a game. If the Bulls thought he was the answer, they likely wouldn’t have added Beverley and started the veteran over the 23-year-old Dosunmu.
The team’s “Big 3,” veteran forward DeMar DeRozan, shooting guard Zach LaVine and center Nikola Vucevic — the latter of whom the team plans to re-sign — have been the subject of trade speculation for months. But John Hollinger of The Athletic thinks the Bulls could keep the Big 3 intact while also adding Toronto Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet, who is about to hit free agency.
VanVleet for Patrick Williams & Lonzo Ball?
As first reported by ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski, VanVleet, 29, declined his $22.82 million player option and will be an unrestricted free agent in July. Hollinger thinks a sign-and-trade between Toronto and Chicago, while highly unlikely, is a remote possibility. Here’s why.
“VanVleet is from nearby Rockford, Ill. Even if the Bulls are not a real contender, that could factor into VanVleet’s decision-making,” Hollinger wrote on June 13. “Whether or not Chicago would make Patrick Williams available here is probably the key for any potential deal, but again, the fit makes sense.”
The Bulls might be willing to move Williams if it meant getting VanVleet in return. Williams is young (he turns 22 this summer) and he scored a career-high 10.2 points a game this past season. He was also one of 10 players in the league to play in all 82 games, so he’s bound to gauge the interest of some teams.
“A VanVleet sign-and-trade for the Bulls seems pretty unlikely, but let’s play along,” Hollinger wrote. “The only future draft pick Chicago can include is a 2024 top-14 protected first from Portland that may not convey for a few years, so the centerpiece of any deal would likely be forward Patrick Williams. On the flip side, the Bulls would need Toronto to take Lonzo Balls’ contract that pays $42 million over the next two years, with a near-zero expectation that he ever plays for the Raptors.”
Record scratch. That last bit about Toronto taking on $42 million for Ball, a player whose NBA future is in question, seems like the longest of long shots. Still, a sign-and-trade is a decent possibility for FVV.
Money Could Limit the Bulls
“Whether that package is even remotely enticing largely depends on how you feel about Williams; for the Bulls, they would need to use their non-taxpayer MLE to sign a starting 4 to replace him,” Hollinger added. “Other tweaks and additions might flow from there — could Toronto use Coby White? Could the Bulls use Chris Boucher? Will VanVleet’s price be high enough that the Bulls have to put in another small contract, such as Derrick Jones, Jr.? — but the core of the deal would have to be Ball, Williams and the Portland pick for VanVleet.”
An All-Star a season ago after scoring 20.3 points and dishing out 6.7 assists per game, VanVleet started 69 games last season and averaged 19.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and a career-high 7.2 assists. He was also third in the NBA in steals last season (1.8 per game). There’s no doubt he’d be a welcome addition to Chicago’s backcourt, but the Bulls would only be able to afford him if they moved Ball’s contract, as VanVleet also won’t come cheap.
Spotrac has him projected to sign a new deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $28.56 million, and the Bulls are currently over the league’s salary cap by $56 million. Shedding Williams’ $10 million deal and Ball’s $40 million contract would free up plenty of room, to be sure, but the issue is getting any takers for Ball, who has had three surgeries on his knee since the start of 2022.
If the Bulls can move on from Ball, they absolutely should, but it’s hard to see any team taking on the remainder of his deal.
