NBA Rumors: Bulls Could Trade Kris Dunn And 2019 1st-Round Pick For Lonzo Ball, Per ‘Pippen Ain’t Easy’
Before the February NBA trade deadline, former No. 2 overall pick Lonzo Ball was believed to be part of the trade package the Los Angeles Lakers offered to the New Orleans Pelicans to acquire All-Star center Anthony Davis. From the time he learned about the rumors, Ball and his camp reportedly informed the Lakers that he has no interest in playing for the Pelicans. Ball prefers to be traded to a team that can assure him of a starting role and significant playing time.
One of Lonzo Ball’s preferred landing spots is the Chicago Bulls. When the Anthony Davis-to-Lakers deal failed to materialize, the Bulls tried to acquire Ball when he publicly expressed his desire to play in Chicago, according to Joe Cowley of Chicago Sun-Times. With their need of a better starting point guard who could play alongside Zach LaVine in the 2019-20 NBA season, the Bulls may consider resuming their pursuit of Ball in the summer of 2019.
In the proposed trade deal by Fansided’s Pippen Ain’t Easy, Kris Dunn and the Bulls’ 2019 first-round pick will be heading to Los Angeles in exchange for Lonzo Ball and the Lakers’ 2019 first-round pick. The deal works on ESPN‘s NBA Trade Machine.
“This deal is essentially a clean swap between point guards and first round picks. The Lakers are currently slotted at 10th best odds for the first overall pick, while Chicago is at fourth best odds. In this deal, Los Angeles can move up six spots (if the lottery odds stay the same) and shed around $3 million in salary by replacing Ball with Dunn. At this spot, the team can look to take a starting shooting guard, such as Texas Tech’s Jarrett Culver, or even move the pick for another star player to put next to LeBron James.”
The FBI has been investigating Alan Foster, the Ball family’s former business manager. Story from me and @LAcrimes https://t.co/WXc6ftmD7p
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) April 25, 2019
Being a pass-first point guard, Lonzo Ball will undeniably be a good fit with Zach Lavine on the Bulls’ backcourt. As of now, no one can deny the fact the Ball is the better point guard and has a higher superstar potential than Kris Dunn. Playing for a rebuilding team like the Bulls could further help Ball speed up his development into a legitimate NBA superstar in the league.
With the presence of LeBron James, it is less likely that the Lakers will consider keeping Kris Dunn and the Bulls’ 2019 first-round pick after the deal. If the Bulls’ 2019 first-round pick becomes a top-3 selection, the Lakers could use it as the main trade chip to acquire a superstar in the 2019 NBA offseason.
