Should The Chicago Bulls Be Looking to Trade Up In The 2024 Draft?

Should The Chicago Bulls Be Looking to Trade Up In The 2024 Draft?

you found yourself on another episode of Locked on Bulls are the Chicago Bulls truly looking to trade up in the draft and if they are who’s that Target we’re also going to look at uh could the Yukon uh University of Yukon look at Billy Donovan if they do indeed lose their coach to the Los Angeles Lakers and uh should the CH what are the Chicago Bulls free agent goals we’re going to get into all that and more on today’s locked on [Music] bulls you are locked on B Bulls your daily Chicago Bulls podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team everyday thank you for tuning in to another episode of lockon bulls member of the lockone podcast Network where it’s your team every single day I’m Hayes host creator of Chicago Bull Central Chicago Bear Central YouTube pages and podcast and today’s episode is brought to you by Game Time download the game time app create an account and use code locked on NBA for $20 off your first purchase turn terms and conditions do apply all right Bulls fans so let’s go ahead and get into it so I’m sure many bulls fans have heard the rumors over the weekend that the Chicago Bulls are looking to trade up this is the second time that we’ve heard that the Bulls are kind of weighing their options and potentially trading up for the draft the target has changed there’s initially some talk around Donovan kingan that the Bulls could be looking to trade up to get him then we heard about the draft day promise to Devin Carter and now we’re hearing that the Bulls could be looking to trade up to get Chicago Prospect Mattis busis while he is Lithuanian much like urish carova um Mattis busis was uh born and raised in the city of Chicago not to say that that should matter as far as draft prospects or anything like that but it kind of makes sense we’ve also heard that the Chicago Bulls worked him out privately in Los Angeles when our ownership group was there our front office was there and bucillis is the type of Target that I do think is worth trading up most mocks have him going between one and five in most mock drafts there are some have him going a little bit lower than that but most have him going around that area and so this is the type of guy who has uh tons of of upside as a point forward his off ball defense is already extremely good he has a great amount of feel for the game he also can be a floor spacer he was a really good three-point shooter in high school shooting the ball over 40% from three-point range but it fell off in the G League unite only shooting 27% so of course that may be some cause from concern things like that but even outside of that this is a guy who is a communicator on both the offense and defensive side he’s really good in the pick and roll game he has tons of potential as a point forward type Prospect in this league and so this is the type of player that has the the the the true upside uh that may be worth trading up for he’s 19 years old he’ll be 20 for the mo majority of his uh rookie campaign and this would definitely change some things for the Chicago Bulls as far as getting a young promising Prospect and I know that there’s the the thought process or the a lot of the terminology of calling this draft a weak draft over on Chicago Bull Central actually spent some time debunking most of the drafts that were labeled as weak drafts actually turned out a pretty nice amount of starters to Star level players the 2020 draft was looked at as the weakest draft in a handful of years and it end up being one of the deeper drafts as far as just quality players to come out of that draft so and that’s not necessarily because it happened in the past means that it’s going to happen with this draft but if your thought process and kind of because you kept hearing that this is a weak draft has made you wonder okay why should the Bulls or why are the Bulls looking to move up it really depends on how they value the talent and the high upside of a guy like Mattis bucillis could absolutely be worth trading up for if it hits and that’s what it gets down to in a draft where between the the the potential in players between like five down to 15 are all very very similar as far as the the the ceiling of those players it raises the question of c are the Bulls going to get this right and there’s nothing that I can answer here um you know anybody who’s pessimistic on the Bulls getting a draft selection correct uh that’s more than warranted so I can understand that right and that’s what this front office has earned by the way that they the lack of execution in certain things but if they’re going to move up in a draft like this they got to to get it right and outside of just this draft their next few few draft selections the the Bulls have to hit on and so it raises the question on okay if the Bulls are going to trade up in this draft what are they using to trade up right we know that that Zack LaVine is on the trade the the trade block that the Bulls are motivated to try to move Zack LaVine before the start of the season but from what we’ve heard the value around Zack LaVine it doesn’t seem like the Bulls are going to get an additional pick in this year’s draft with Zack LaVine or a high pick and trade up um and are they willing to move off the 11th is this a thing where the Bulls are looking to acquire another pick or are they looking to package number 11 with some of their assets to move up in the draft now the assets that they have to trade really Alice Caruso right demard de R rozan can’t be traded at the draft he can be signed and traded in free agency but that can’t happen at the draft uh same thing with like Tory Craig Andre Drummond right are the Bulls looking to maybe move on from one of the young players they already have to move up in this draft this is all speculation on my part but what it comes down to it if the Bulls are looking in it was reported by ESP and that they’re looking to move up if the price is right in the right situations right so they’re willing to take a risk but a calculated risk and so TR trying to judge what that risk may be that’s the difficult part and we’ll see um overall I’m glad that the Bulls are reviewing all options that’s what I can honestly say and if they see a guy and a prospect in this draft that they truly think has some Star level potential I’m not mad at them being aggressive and going after it but you got to hit on it and especially if you’re giving up assets either present or future assets to move up you have to make sure that you’re getting it right in my opinion and that’s what it comes down to to me is that it okay you want to move up you’ve identified a talent go out there and get it but what’s the price because especially when you’re hearing a guy like who has a very similar ceiling to like a billis is to Jean salon and he’s starting to be mock more and more to go to the Chicago Bulls right Nicola topic another player in this draft that you know may be falling because of the ACL injury so how does that change the trade market and values and things like that are all questions but ultimately it just comes down to can the Bulls get it done and will they make the right decision and that is something that not a lot of people a bulls fans are going to have faith in um especially when you pair in here in the week draft and things like that and I think ultimately when you look at billus is is one specifically that I’d be worth I think it’s worth the Bulls trading up for I really do I think he has that high level I know the stats in g-league don’t really stand out and scream at you or anything like that but I wouldn’t be mad if they actually get him the playmaking the upside he’s kind of the type of player where the game is going uh he has you know 69 with a 610 almost 11 wing span that makes some sense there in the versatility um and then he’s also a guy that while an international player because he is Lithuanian um he’s grown up here in Chicago and so because of that uh he doesn’t he may not have the you know the the the the learning curve that some of the more International prospects have in the American game he also played in the G g-league Unit so those are all things I think this is a guy that you know if the Bulls do get him uh he could be their power forward of the future does that mean moving Patrick Williams to small for long term what does that mean for dalen Terry Julian Phillips you know that that’s a story that we’ll get if the Bulls do that and that’s if they they’ll have to figure it out if that’s what they decided to do but ultimately you got to get talent in here the Bulls need an influx of talent he comes in at potentially a position of need at finding a legit power forward type player uh I know it’s not a center where a lot of bulls fans want to see the Bulls go um and the bigger question that I have is what does it cost to move up in a draft like this and that is up for the Chicago Bulls to find out I don’t know I I would say that a lot of people aren’t going to quite know uh what it would take to move up in a weaker draft we’ve heard that a lot of teams aren’t quite enamored uh with the talent in this draft so they are willing to move out of this draft or move down and uh especially with a lot of the prospects all having similar ceilings and caps it can mean even more so while a team could be willing to say hey yeah maybe we pass on Mattis billis but maybe we get another guy later on that we’re actually hire on and we can gain some assets I just hope that the Bulls aren’t giving up a lot of assets imagine if the Bulls give up the number 11 give up Alice Caruso and they draft at number four three whatever and then the player that’s taking that number 11 ends up being the better player out of that like you can’t keep getting decisions wrong and for a front office that has overpaid a lot for what they’ve brought into this team you cannot keep being on the wrong end of value and picks and things like that so this is one of the drafts in situations where this Bulls team has to get this right and whatever they do if they get it right all ultimately you know Bulls fans are going to be disappointed I think regardless of what we do in the draft I think by the names and things like that that are around they’re going to be a big portion of the fan base that’s disappointed either way and that’s because this isn’t a draft with the Deep names and do you want to really give up an ALICE Caruso in a draft like this to move up and I’m just using that as a name or would you rather kind of wait to the trade deadline and get a pick in the 2025 draft whereas even if you get a pick in the 20s in that draft it’s comparable to the talent going probably at number in this draft well that’s a very deep draft in 2025 and 26 are shaped up to be deep drafts but that’s what the Bulls have to find answers to and uh we’ll be reviewing it and talking about it here uh at at locked on bulls every single day so make sure you guys stay tuned in with us but next up we’re going to be talking about Yukon and their coach Dan early potentially going to the Los Angeles Lakers and could the Yukon pivot towards Billy Donovan we’ll talk a little bit about that I got to talk to you guys about one of her sponsors and that is game time game time makes makes getting NBA Finals tickets even faster and easier prices on Game Time app actually go down the closer it gets to tip off with killer last minute deals Allin prices views from your seat and the lowest price guarantee game time takes the guest workor out of buying NBA tickets uh if you guys want to get tickets to the finals I don’t know if there’s going to be available in game time but hey if you get there go out and get it right you pick out any specific uh you know games and match ups that you want which could be the NBA finals and hope that you get that priority last minute deals save up to 60% uh off buying last minute for sports 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the Lakers are able to lock in Dan Hurley uh to a contract could the could the Yukon Huskies start pivoting towards looking at Billy Donovan now we know that um Kentucky when they had an opening they were reportedly interested in Billy Donovan Billy Donovan kind of said that he was more so he wasn’t looking to move on he wanted to say uh in the NBA but could they make a pivot towards Billy Donovan anything’s possible I think that with Billy passing up on the Kentucky situation it kind of already says and writes home that Billy ain’t going nowhere I don’t think Billy is is ready to leave the Chicago Bulls I think he has a really good position with this team as far as he is locked in with ownership he’s locked in with the front office uh they are very collaborative in that what comes to that collaboration is a different if is a different mindset but if for anyone looking and hoping that maybe this U composition could offer the Chicago Bulls an opportunity to come off of Billy Donovan I’m here to debunk it and tell y’all Billy Donovan ain’t going nowhere I I refuse to believe I would have to see the contract signed and Inked before I believe in any stretch of the imagination that Billy Donovan is leaving the Chicago Bulls I just don’t think he is we know that he has two years left on his contract here on top of that you know you know with Mark everley signing a three-year extension it seems like this front office is locked in they are locked into to this group they’re locked into this core and I really don’t think as well not that it would matter if if Yukon came and offered Billy Donovan a contract and he took it they let him out of it but I I just I don’t think that this front office looks to move on from Billy Donovan until they feel like they have the roster that is truly competitive and they feel confident in that roster and then they say hey it can’t be the roster at this point it got to be the coach let’s bring in a new coach and so I think that as long as this roster is as flawed as what it is as long as we have the issues that we do on it I don’t think Billy Donovan is going anywhere when you look at the history like I know AK came from Denver there’s always some questions on how much of his say was around Denver but you know we’re using that as a basis they did not move on for Mike Malone when a lot of other teams would have right and so I know this is not probably what a lot of bulls fans want to hear but I think Billy Donovan’s locked in here for Chicago almost as long as he wants to be here with the also the opportunity at some point that he may even move into the front office and this has nothing to do with his son being hired by the windy city Bulls I don’t think that that would ever keep the team from moving on from Billy Donovan if they thought and felt it was time I just don’t think they’re going to think and feel that for quite a while I’m being 100% honest I would love to come here and always tell you guys what you want to hear I would love to be able to say that the problem is I got to be real with you guys and that’s not a problem but that’s what we’re here to do is always be honest real and what we talk about and not try to sell you guys a dream unfortunately I don’t see it happening I’ve seen some people ask the question I’ve seen even a couple of Articles you know writing on the topic of it’s if it’s a possibility I don’t think that it is and I think ultimately you got to ask yourself and this is something that I asked over on Chicago Bulls Central as well that I’m going to bring over here as a question how much realistically has Billy Donovan held back or limited the ceiling of the Chicago Bulls right that’s a question that as fans we’re going to always ask ourselves right when you see players go away like Daniel Gafford when you see players go away like Derrick Jones Jr who mainly was rooll and opportunity and we have questions about player utilization here why do we play so small things like that playing javante out of position playing Alice Cruz so out of position some of that is of course built out necessity because of the roster construction which isn’t really on Billy Donovan but outside of those aspect of things until the bull the the front office and you know AK once has said that he does not feel like this is the group that he’d feel comfortable going to ownership about and trying to sell them on on on paying the luxury tax and I think that you can you can attach some of that same mindset when it comes to moving on from Billy Donovan I don’t think until this front office has a roster that they feel confident in asking to pay the luxury tax for will they look to move on from Billy Donovan if they feel comfortable they say hey no this is a roster that we feel 100% like it’s worth paying the luxury tax and we’re not getting if we’re not getting to where we are and we feel that that’s when I think that we could see a coaching change unless Billy Donovan steps down between between now and then but I think that we’re locked in with Billy for quite a while and unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at that that’s just what the situation is there’s going to be no quick fixes to get Billy Donovan out of here it’s just not going to happen it’s it’s not I know people have hopes and thoughts and all this and you know we’ve had that conversation as well here at at at locked on bulls we’ve definitely have it um because it is a conversation that you know at times you you need to have right but I just don’t think and see the Bulls moving on from Billy Donovan anytime soon that’s my personal opinion uh could I be wrong on that absolutely um could Yukon say hey Billy we’re willing to offer you everything that you possibly could want plus plus some more to come to Yukon could Billy Donovan look at it and say hey uh rather than sit here and and compete for n seeds I want to go and compete for national championships at Yukon where do things have happened right I think the bigger thing to to look at this is to say that with the Bulls record getting worse every year for the last three years what would like what else does it take you see other teams around the league that don’t settle for mediocracy hell the the the the Milwaukee Bucks moved on from a coach that had almost a 60% win percentage like so other teams around the league don’t rest on their Laurels the Bulls in a lot of ways do um for for continuity sake or for whatever else we want to call it at that time and as a fan base it is frustrating but I think ultimately it just comes down to they’re content with Billy Donovan and hopefully that contentment and stagnation doesn’t end up being the the undoing uh but I mean we first got to have a roster that we feel confident can do and right now you know I’ve said every every coach in the NBA deserves the best roster possible Right the most complete roster that you can put there’s no such thing as a perfect roster the most complete roster that you can that you can put together and I just don’t think the Bulls have had that and I don’t see a front office as levelheaded and as committed to continuity as AK and everle have shown to move on from a coach and Billy Donovan that they still have confidence in and I I don’t expect Bulls say I don’t agree with it right but this isn’t about agreeance this about understanding and uh recognition in a lot of ways and I recognize where this front office is right now with this with this coaching staff and well with this head coach because we’ve revamped the coaching staff so you know that that is what it is but with uh the head coach and so Billy Donovan’s job is safe it’s going to be safe for another day it’s going to be safe for quite a while and if anybody tells you hey Billy Donovan could potentially go to Yukon not to say that Yukon may not be uh interested in Billy Donovan if Dan Hurley does leave but I don’t think that Billy Donovan is going anywhere anytime soon by any stretch of the imagination but hey maybe I’m wrong on that maybe maybe something crazy happens I don’t think so but maybe it does but with that said we’re gonna wrap up the show by talking about uh the Bulls kind of focus in free agency what should their focus be in free agency but before we do that I got to talk to you guys about another one of our sponsors and that is priz piix uh priz piix is America’s number one fantasy sports app with more than 5 million members it is the most fun and exciting way to get uh in on the action while you watch your favorite sports and players you just pick more than or less than or two or more player stats for a shot to win up to 100 times your cash with prospects you can turn $10 into $1,000 in a single game watching your favorite sports this summer you can make a prospects lineup in as little as 60 seconds you just need to pick more than or less than two to six player stat projections in your locked in if you’re looking for promotions prps has got 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officially signs with a team buddy hild is going to be on the list of potential targets for the Chicago Bulls you have players like uh Jaylen you have other players uh Kelly UB Jr was one I’ve seen recently uh with him and his potential of being a scorer Off the Bench not really a consistent three-point shooter but a scorer Off the Bench that could come in uh provide some link provide some defense he had one of his best defensive Seasons this past year but the problem that with trying to gauge what the Bulls could do or should do in free agency right now is that we just don’t know what the roster is going to look like we don’t know who the Bulls are shopping we don’t know what the Bulls are going to get back in the Zack LaVine trade we don’t know what the type of salary cap space the Chicago Bulls are going to have so it’s hard to really get that and so ultimately I want to talk about how the Bulls can even be players in free agency we’ve talked a lot about the fact that the Bulls are right up against the luxury tax but I think we need to add a little bit more perspective on that the Bulls are right up against the luxury tax if they want to bring everything back if they want to resign DeMar rosen they resign Patrick Williams with the $42 million beneath the luxury tax they have because contrary to what some Bulls fans think the Bulls are always over the salary cap but there’s that space between the salary cap that you can still go over and the luxury tax the Bulls don’t pay the luxury tax so the Bulls could have about $42 million beneath the luxury tax but that would have to mean that either the Bulls don’t resign to Mar Rosen or they don’t or they trade Zack LaVine and don’t have to take all his salary back in matching meaning that the team has some space to absorb some of Zack lavine’s contract and I think ultimately the goal for the Chicago Bulls that we’re going to talk about isn’t necessarily talking about the player type they should go after it’s talking about how they could create that space to where they can even make any type of Maneuvers in free agency and that’s where things are different for the Bulls to become a a a a player in free agency to use their mid-level exception they also have their B anual exception available this year but the mid level is about $12.9 million so to do that the Bulls would have to do one of a few things they would have to either not resign dear roosen which would automatically give them that space Bel below the luxury tax they’d have to resign Demar for less than the $40 million were also not resigning Patrick Williams or they would have to do a combination of trading Zack LaVine not taking back as much salary also Tory Craig opting out Andre Drummond opting out you not resigning those guys those things all play a part so the key thing isn’t the Bulls creating this huge amount of cap space it’s them creating after they resign whoever they want to keep still having roughly 13 to 15 million in cap SP in beneath the luxury tax if the Bulls can get to that point that allows them to use their full mid-level exception trading V could also do that which I don’t think is very likely without attaching major major assets so I think that’s the goal for the Bulls it’s just to get yourself in a position to where you find a way to keep the players that you want but also be able to add something to the team outside of just your draft pick this upcoming year and that could be where the Bulls get a little crazy at and that would like I said would mean trading on from Zack LaVine to one of these teams that has some cap space to absorb a portion of his contract uh to create a little bit of that or not resigning DeMar rosen or a combination of both they really want to get a little frisky and surprise everybody those are the options that ahead of them well that’s my time for today guys make sure you guys you can follow me at CEO ha you can also follow us at lockon Bulls we are free and available on 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Haize discusses the rumors around the Chicago Bulls trading up in the 2024 NBA Draft and if it’s the right move. He also talks about the chances UConn could look at Billy Donovan if Dan Hurley leaves for the Lakers and more.

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