Heading into this summer, the Chicago Bulls committed themselves to pushing forward. After getting bounced in the Play-In Tournament this past year, Arturas Karnisovas said that he was against the idea of rebuilding the roster, and instead, he wanted to run it back with the current core.
So far this summer, they have made the necessary moves to begin heading in that direction. They re-signed Nikola Vucevic and Coby White and signed Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig in free agency. But there’s still room to grow, and with their newly-acquired DPE, which they received because of Lonzo Ball‘s injury, they could have a pathway to acquire more talent.
And in a mock trade concocted by Dan Favale of Bleacher Report, they would do just that.
Mock trade sees Bulls land veteran forward using Lonzo Ball DPE: The trade
Here’s the full outline of Faval’s proposed trade:
Bulls receive: Royce O’Neale
Nets receive: 2026 second-round pick, 2027 second-round pick
Mock trade sees Bulls land veteran forward using Lonzo Ball DPE: Why Bulls make the trade
This was Favale’s reasoning as to why the Bulls would be interested in this sort of deal:
“The Bulls were granted a $10.2 million disabled player exception for Lonzo Ball that they can use to sign a player for one season or acquire someone on an expiring contract,” Favale wrote. “The smart money is on them holding on to it. They are, after all, notoriously stingy.
“And yet, Chicago just showed, again, that it intends to maximize the middling window and ceiling of this core. Using the DPE should be an obligation.
“Fans will clamor for another playmaker to glitz up what was a mediocre offense last season. The Bulls can still get enough of that from the committee of Alex Caruso, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Coby White.
“Adding a complementary shooter who can guard three, sometimes four, positions is an equally big deal. For as much as O’Neale has regressed from his Utah heyday, he continues to fill that role.
“Will two second-rounders be enough to pry him from a Brooklyn team that already ducked the tax? Debatable. But the Nets still have wings to spare and might appreciate generating another $9-plus million traded player exception.”
Mock trade sees Bulls land veteran forward using Lonzo Ball DPE: Should the Bulls make this trade?
If the Bulls can get O’Neale for just two second-round picks, they should definitely pull the trigger.
Their forward depth is decent, but O’Neale would solidify it even further with another veteran who’s great on the defensive end and can nail his three-point shots.
