NBA Rumors: Bulls Could Acquire Chris Paul For Otto Porter Jr. & Thaddeus Young, ‘Bleacher Report’ Suggests
Considering how he led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a surprisingly strong 40-24 win-loss record before the NBA went on hiatus last month and returned to the All-Star Game in February, Chris Paul has again become the subject of myriad trade rumors and ideas as the 2019-20 season remains on hold due to the coronavirus. The latest such idea hints that the Chicago Bulls could benefit from acquiring him in the 2020 offseason, in exchange for forwards Otto Porter Jr. and Thaddeus Young.
In a list of trade ideas for the league’s biggest offseason targets, Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz suggested that trading for Paul would be a good way for new Bulls executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas to introduce a winning culture to Chicago. As he noted, making such a deal won’t require the 35-year-old point guard to step up as the team’s No. 1 offensive option, as “CP3” would mostly be expected to “improve the lives” of the team’s young core, which features guards Zach LaVine and Coby White and big men Wendell Carter Jr. and Lauri Markkanen.
Talking about Paul’s impact if the hypothetical trade pushes forward, Swartz pointed out that the move could also allow the 6-foot-4-inch White to further thrive as a shooting guard, given how he has the size to play the position. He added that LaVine, who has spent most of his time in Chicago as a small forward, could return to his natural role as a shooting guard, with incumbent starting point guard Tomas Satoransky moving to the bench as the Bulls’ sixth man.
“Chicago would immediately become a playoff contender next season without giving up any of its core players,” Swartz explained, discussing the trade idea’s financial implications. “While Paul’s contract is hefty ($41.4 million in 2020-21, $44.2 million player option in 2021-22), his money matches up perfectly with Porter’s and Young’s next year.”
Currently, Paul is averaging 17.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per game for the Thunder, with shooting percentages of 48.9 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from three-point range.
? @CP3's wildest shots of his career before NBA HORSE Challenge Presented by State Farm begins tonight at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/hcayBPP4Wk
— NBA (@NBA) April 12, 2020
Regarding the Thunder, Swartz pointed out that Paul has done his part to further the development of second-year guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, also noting that the team has acquired its fair share of first-round picks through the deals it made in the 2019 offseason. Aside from those factors, as well as the money-saving aspect of the transaction, Young’s arrival in Oklahoma City — if the trade pushes forward — makes him a good insurance policy at power forward if Danilo Gallinari leaves via free agency, while Porter, at 26 years old, could step up as the team’s starter at small forward.
As shown on the Bulls’ Basketball-Reference team page, Porter has played only 14 games in an injury-riddled 2019-20 campaign, averaging 11.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. The veteran Young, on the other hand, has been a key member of Chicago’s bench corps, posting averages of 10.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists while starting 16 out of 64 games.
