New York Knicks Receive: F Troy Brown Jr., F Derrick Jones Jr., 2023 First-Round Pick (POR)
Chicago Bulls Receive: F Julius Randle
Obviously, this is the scenario where Zach LaVine re-signs. If you’re a Bulls fan, it’s probably the one you’d prefer.
For what it’s worth, Randle is far from a perfect complement to this roster. Defense is not his strong suit, and it happens to be this team’s biggest need. Counterpoint: who needs defense anyway?
Imagine the Bulls’ starting lineup following this trade. How does a lineup of Nikola Vucevic, Julius Randle, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Lonzo Ball sound? Frankly, it sounds crazy to us. So crazy that it just might work.
Outside of Vooch, every player in that lineup is capable of initiating offense. With such a surplus of playmaking and shot creation, defenses won’t know who to turn to yet.
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The Bulls would be fielding three players who are capable of commanding a double team here, and the two that can’t (Ball and Vucevic) are both capable-to-elite floor spacers.
On the other hand, if LaVine’s departure is imminent, this whole plan falls apart. In that event, the Bulls would have to pivot to a Plan B.
