Why the Chicago Bulls may be the perfect partner for a Damian Lillard Trade

Who gets who?

Miami Gets: Damian Lillard

Portland Gets: Zach Lavine, Duncan Robinson, Andre Drummond, Dalen Terry, Nikola Jovic, 3 first round picks and 1 second round pick

Chicago Gets: Anfernee Simons, Tyler Herro and 2 second round picks

From Miami's Perspective

Miami gets, without a doubt, the best player involved in this draft. Miami would form one of the most potent, dynamic and balanced "Big 3's" in the NBA. His shooting and playmaking make him exactly the type of player you would want next to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. He seemingly would be a perfect fit, not just on the court but in the locker room as well. Losing Herro may hurt Miami, but the argument's been made that their offense actually improved while he was out last season with an injury. At the end of the day, they're trading Tyler Herro, 2 end of the bench players, 2 likely non-lottery 1st round picks and 3 2nd's, in order to land a Superstar that increases their chance of winning a Championship. Its also worth noting that Miami's management has proven to be one of the best in the league when it comes to finding, and coaching, undrafted players. This trade would also make them a bona fide destination for veteran's pursuing championships, as they would be left with some obvious holes to fill in Free Agency with multiple open roster spots.

Miami's Projected Depth Chart Post Trade

PG: Damian Lillard, Kyle Lowry

SG: Josh Richardson

SF: Jimmy Butler, Caleb Martin, Jaime Jaquez Jr

PF: Caleb Martin, Kevin Love

C: Bam Adebayo, Thomas Bryant, Orlando Robinson

From Portland's Perspective

Losing Damian Lillard is undoubtedly a tough blow, but it appears increasingly inevitable. Despite having 11 seasons to construct a championship-caliber team around his extraordinary talent, Portland has fallen short. Nevertheless, the organization is fortunate to possess a wealth of young and promising players. Rebuilding a franchise is never easy, especially when you risk stunting the growth of your talent in a losing environment. This proposed trade offers a chance for Portland to remain competitive while providing ample opportunities for the development of Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharp. Acquiring Zach Lavine would bring a true superstar and an upgrade over Anfernee Simons in terms of talent and marketability. It would also serve as a homecoming for Lavine, who grew up just a couple hours north of Portland. Receiving their first-round pick back from the Bulls would create numerous possibilities for additional trades by allowing them to move their own first round picks in subsequent trades. The main downside of this trade, aside from the obvious loss of Dame, is the limited cap relief it offers. However, the surplus of picks opens up different avenues for future deals. Portland would still need to pursue a veteran point guard and bolster their frontcourt depth through free agency or trades. Exploring a trade for a player like Ayton could also be a sensible move for this team. With these changes, the Portland Trail Blazers would become one of the league's most electrifying and entertaining teams, inflicting punishment on the rim with their explosive dunks.

Portland's Projected Depth Chart Post Trade

PG: Scoot Henderson, Dalen Terry

SG: Zach Lavine, Keon Johnson, Jabari Walker

SF: Shaedan Sharp, Nassir Little, Duncan Robinson

PF: Jerami Grant, Nikola Jovic, Kris Murray

C: Josef Nurkic, Andre Drummond

From Chicago's Perspective

Despite what the management team of Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley have stated, the Bulls need to make a change. Despite having a roster loaded with talent, including three recent All-Stars, the Bulls are trending downward. They followed up their 46-38 campaign in 2021-2022 with a losing record of 40-42 this past season, missing the playoffs. A lot of this can be attributed to the loss of Lonzo Ball due to a knee injury, but that situation will not be remedied anytime soon. Bulls management has given every indication that they're pushing for continuity, but Zach Lavine's name keeps getting brought up in trade scenarios with reports of Bulls management fielding offers for him. Zach's max salary, in addition to Lonzo's contract, seriously hinders the Bulls' ability to make improvements and fill out their roster adequately. Moving Zach Lavine, along with the heavily underutilized Andre Drummond and prospect Dalen Terry, for two young starting-caliber players on reasonable contracts that both average over 20 ppg, would be a beneficial move. Both players are extremely capable shooters and would fit nicely on a team centered around Demar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic. Simons would move back to his natural position of point guard and could experience a breakout season, similar to the way Tyrese Haliburton did last season after being traded away from Darian Fox. The Bulls' biggest issues this past season were shooting and facilitating, and this trade proposal addresses both issues head-on while also replenishing some draft assets. The Bulls would go from lacking three-point shooters to having 7-8 great outside shooters on their roster. Additionally, the Bulls would still be looking to add some interior defense via free agency.

Chicago Bulls Projected Depth Chart Post Trade

PG: Anfornee Simons, Javon Carter, Carlik Jones

SG: Tyler Herro, Coby White

SF: Demar DeRozan, Torrey Craig

PF: Patrick Williams, Alex Caruso

C: Nikola Vucevic, Marko Simonovic

This Scenario is 100% speculation based on common public knowledge and media reports, and does not include any inside information.

Any statistics were taken from BasketballReference and the trade was confirmed as viable via Fanspo