NBA Rumors: Chris Paul Trade Could Make Bulls’ ‘Postseason Dreams’ A Reality, Per ‘Bleacher Report’

Since they decided to undergo a rebuilding process, the Chicago Bulls have gathered several young and promising talents that could potentially bring them back to their former glory. However, though their young core has already shown major improvement with their performance, the Bulls’ path to title contention is still blurry.

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report admitted that the Bulls have a very talented roster, but right now, he strongly believes that they need to make big moves in order to become a legitimate playoff contender in the Eastern Conference.

Buckley thinks that the Bulls need to find a guy that could help them “fit the puzzle pieces together,” and he specifically mentioned Chris Paul of the Oklahoma City Thunder as a potential trade target for Chicago in the 2020 offseason.

“Chris Paul could be that connective tissue. He just helped the Oklahoma City Thunder dramatically outperform preseason expectations, but given his onerous contract ($41.4 million next season, $44.2 million player option for 2021-22), he shouldn’t be too difficult to pry away. Build an offer around Otto Porter Jr. and his $28.5 million player option, and the Thunder could pounce on the savings. Given how long Chicago has searched for a floor general, Paul would be a godsend. His 3.13 real plus-minus ranked ninth overall and third among point guards, per ESPN. He could immediately assume top leadership duties, perk up the perimeter defense and ace the primary playmaker role.”

After moving out of the shadow of James Harden, Paul has managed to rebuild his value and proven to everyone in the league that he still has plenty of gas left in his tank. With his impressive performance with the Thunder, Paul not only got the attention of legitimate power teams but also rebuilding squads that need a leader to guide their young core. Trading Paul won’t make them an instant title contender in the Eastern Conference, but if he has the same impact in Chicago, Buckley sees the Bulls turning their “postseason dreams” into a reality next season.

As Buckley noted, Paul won’t have a hard time building chemistry with the Bulls’ young guards. Coby White has the size and skill to play as a shooting guard, while Zach LaVine has shown that he could also excel at the small forward position. In addition, there would be no problem if the Bulls’ young guards want to initiate offense since Paul is a good enough shooter to play off the ball.

However, bringing Paul to Chicago comes with a price. To acquire him from the Thunder, the Bulls should be willing to give up a trade package that includes a young player or a future draft pick and expiring contracts.