Key Takeaways:
– The Chicago Bulls may see changes prompted by the vice president of basketball operations, Arturas Karnisovas.
– Karnisovas might explore roster upgrade through a needle-moving trade, likely for New Orlean’s star, Brandon Ingram.
– Karnisovas’ new perspective reveals a shift from his previous protection of the Bulls’ core group.
– A potential trade might require substantial draft capital, and even attaching other players such as Zach LaVine to contracts.
– Despite his high salary and injury history, finding a trade partner to take LaVine could become a priority for the Bulls during the offseason.
Arturas Karnisovas, the Chicago Bulls’ executive vice president of basketball operations, is looking to change the current Bulls’ roster, marking a departure from his previous staunch defense of the core group. This development comes on the back of the team failing to make a postseason appearance consecutively over the past two years.
Looking for New Strategies
Karnisovas is known for his creativity, which may prove helpful as the Bulls have limited means to upgrade their roster. Their options are constrained in terms of draft capital or mid-tier contracts. Therefore, they may resort to a significant trade or possibly two smaller ones to provide the needed shake-up.
In recent years, the Bulls have treaded this path, signing players such as Andre Drummond, Torrey Craig, and Jevon Carter in free agency. Karnisovas now sights a potential trade involving New Orleans Pelicans’ star Brandon Ingram.
Ingram and LaVine in the Balance
The potential trade would see the Bulls swapping their Zach LaVine for Brandon Ingram. Marc Stein, from The Stein Line, suggests there’s “a growing belief leaguewide that Pelicans will aggressively explore the trade market for Brandon Ingram before next season.” Ingram is heading into the last year of a five-year contract worth $158.2 million. Despite a dip in scoring and a three-year rebounding low during his prior season, the 26-year-old might be just the fit the Bulls need.
However, such a trade could come at a high cost. Speculations hint that Bulls might need to append draft capital or other players to LaVine’s contract – which has three years remaining on a five-year, $215.1 million pact – to drive this trade. The goal would be to make the hefty price tag more appealing to potential trade partners. LaVine made only 25 appearances in the latest season, his lowest since 2017-18, mainly due to injury and trade rumors.
Need for Change
Karnisovas, who had advocated for continuity for two past offseasons, has taken a different stance – highlighting that the existing structure isn’t yielding much-needed improvements. “We obviously cannot roll with the same team again and expect different results,” Karnisovas stated in an April press conference. This stance might fuel some aggressive moves in the upcoming free agency period and potentially steer the Bulls to bring in the much-needed fresh talent.
The last time Karnisovas was active in the trade market, the Bulls secured DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball, demonstrating his willingness to make substantial moves. Accordingly, an infusion of draft capital in a significant trade might just be the solution the Bulls need this offseason to shake things up.
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