The Chicago Bulls have been on the outside looking into the playoffs over the past couple of years. Coaching has been a big issue, but the team feels like they struck gold with the hire of Billy Donovan. Could acquiring star point guard Chris Paul from the Oklahoma City Thunder come next?
Let’s take a second to digest what was just written. Paul heading to Chicago seems strange, but it might make perfect sense.
Bleacher Report suggested that the Bulls’ perfect trade target this offseason would be Paul. He played for Donovan this year with the Thunder and would provide leadership and star power for Chicago.
Here is the reasoning B/R gave for why the Bulls should pursue a trade for Paul this offseason.
This would certainly impact Chicago’s financial flexibility for the next two seasons, but the potential boost to the organization’s short-term stability would be worth it for the new regime.
Basically, the Bulls would make this move to help their young team grow and to help them compete now. Paul is in the twilight of his career, but he is still capable of putting up big numbers. We all saw that this year with the Thunder.
During the 2019-20 NBA season with the Thunder, Paul ended up averaging 17.6 points per game to go along with 6.7 assists and 5.0 rebounds. He shot 48.9 percent from the floor overall and 36.5 percent from the three-point line. Those numbers would look good for the Bulls.
Billy Donovan will need trusted players in his first year with the Bulls. It wouldn’t get any better than a trade to acquire Chris Paul.
Granted, Paul may not be thrilled with the prospect of helping the Bulls rebuild. He wants to compete for a championship and he likely would not get that in Chicago. But, Paul is a professional and would do everything he could to help the Bulls grow and compete.
Expect to hear a ton of trade rumors surrounding Chris Paul this offseason. The Bulls may not get heavily involved, but it’s something to keep an eye on.
