NEWSLETTER
Let the NBA Draft rumors begin!
As underwhelming as the 2024 prospect pool might be, the draft is still the draft. Front offices are going to talk themselves into this class more and more as June 26th nears, and with that will come a fresh batch of piping-hot rumors. Mmmmm.
Most offseason talk for the Chicago Bulls has centered around the futures of Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. The former has made his desire to find a new home clear, while the latter can hit unrestricted free agency in July. As important as both those storylines are, however, we can’t forget about the Bulls also possessing this year’s No. 11 pick. This marks only the second lottery pick for Arturas Karnisovas since taking over the franchise in 2020. And, after a second-straight season missing the playoffs, hitting on that pick feels like another significant narrative.
One way to increase your chances of hitting on a pick is to put yourself in an even better position. In other words, the Chicago Bulls could always move up in the draft in hopes of landing one of the few big-name players in this draft. For what it’s worth, I never necessarily considered this a path worth taking in this specific draft, but it sounds like the Bulls may be thinking otherwise.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony named Chicago in his latest mock draft as one of three teams that could try to move up for one of the biggest names in the draft.
“There’s chatter around the league that teams such as Portland, Memphis and Chicago might look to move up to draft Clingan earlier than this, but in this mock scenario, he falls right into the Trail Blazers’ lap. Clingan brings size, length, defensive prowess, nonstop intensity and passing ability along with a back-to-back national championship pedigree. He has plenty of room for growth alongside the Blazers’ core at just 20 years old.”
Donovan Clingan is undoubtedly one of the most attractive prospects in this class. The big man helped lead UConn to historic back-to-back championships and possesses the skills to be a top-tier defensive anchor at the next level. When we consider some of the league’s most recent MVPs – Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo – rim protection has become a point of focus for more and more teams. And we all know Chicago has lacked that in recent years with the offensive-minded Nikola Vucevic manning center.
Should and Would the Bulls Really Move Up?
My brain can’t decide what it thinks of this information.
On the one hand, in a crappy draft, walking away with one of the very few players everyone has high on their board would feel like a win. Clingan could give the Bulls a long-term answer at the center position, setting them up for potential success once Nikola Vucevic is gone. For a franchise that has refused to see into the future and act aggressively, making a trade for a young talent would certainly be a breath of fresh air. It would feel a bit hypocritical to yell at them for not doing anything … only to yell at them when they do something.
On the other hand, is this the right something? The Bulls are already strapped for future assets. Not only are the out multiple future second-rounders, but their top 10 protected first-rounder in 2025 belongs to the San Antonio Spurs. What exactly do they plan to use in a trade? While this draft may be easier to move up in than others due to its underwhelming nature, you’ll likely still need to give up something of real value.
Zach LaVine isn’t returning a top-10 pick. The same can be said about DeMar DeRozan. The only path that makes some sense to me would be moving Alex Caruso to the Memphis Grizzlies in a package that includes No. 9. The Grizzlies plan to be right back in the competitive mix next season with a healthy Ja Morant and Desmond Bane, so it feels like they should consider trading out of that spot. Even then, however, the team acquired Marcus Smart before the start of last season to do a lot of what Caruso does. Clingan also may not even fall this far! Most mocks have him going top 5!
(Update: I thought about this shortly after posting, but I guess the Houston Rockets could be interested in someone like Alex Caruso. While they already have Dillon Brooks to pester ball handlers, throwing Caruso into the mix could give them quite the stiff defensive backcourt. We know they want to return to the postseason sooner than later, so maybe this could be a key part of getting a deal done. Still, is that enough for Houston to part with No. 3? Should it be enough for the Bulls?)
With this in mind, it sure feels like the Bulls would have to give up future first-round draft capital to convince one of these rebuilding teams to do business. Is that really worth it, especially in a draft like this? Again, by all accounts, this isn’t the kind of draft to go big or go home. Clingan – as imposing as he could be – also doesn’t feel like the player you mortgage a lot of additional future flexibility for.
The Bulls never fail to make things complicated, folks! I still think they end up staying put at No. 11 and taking the best player on their board. But this news does make things that much more interesting as we look toward the big day. I’m certainly curious to see if the Bulls end up in any more pre-draft trade buzz.
More on this draft’s big men here …
