The Chicago Bulls traded for Nikola Vucevic before the 2021 trade deadline to show that they are serious about building a title-contending team around All-Star shooting guard Zach LaVine. Unfortunately, the acquisition of Vucevic was clearly not enough to help the Bulls make a huge noise in the Eastern Conference in the 2020-21 NBA season.
If they want to keep LaVine happy and have a realistic chance of contending for the NBA championship title next year, the Bulls should strongly consider adding another All-Star caliber player to their roster this summer.
Kemba Walker Leaves Beantown For Windy City
According to Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report, one of the most realistic trade targets for the Bulls is veteran point guard Kemba Walker of the Boston Celtics. After the Celtics suffered a first-round elimination at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets in the 2021 NBA Playoffs, rumors have started to swirl that they are planning to trade Walker this summer.
Trading for an injury-riddled star would definitely come with a huge risk but when he’s 100 percent healthy, Walker could be the missing piece that could take the Bulls to the next level.
Hypothetical Celtics-Bulls 2021 Offseason
In his article, Swartz came up with a hypothetical trade idea that would enable the Bulls to acquire Walker from the Celtics in the 2021 offseason. With the Celtics’ strong desire to get rid of Walker’s massive salary, the Bulls wouldn’t be needing to give up precious draft picks to convince Boston to make a deal.
According to Swartz, the Bulls could easily get Walker this summer by offering the Celtics a trade package that includes Coby White, Tomas Satoransky, and Al-Farouq Aminu.
Kemba Walker Elevates Bulls’ Status In The Eastern Conference
When he’s 100 percent healthy, Walker would be an incredible addition to the Bulls, giving them a major upgrade at the starting point guard position. Aside from being a great playmaker and ball-handler, he’s also a very reliable scoring option, perimeter defender, and floor-spacer. This season, he averaged 19.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting 42.0 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from beyond the arc, per ESPN.
“A starting unit of Walker, Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams, Thaddeus Young and Vucevic could compete for homecourt advantage in the East, and the addition of Walker would help convince LaVine to re-sign next offseason,” Swartz wrote.
Why The Celtics Would Make The Trade
If the trade would push through this summer, it’s expected to benefit both the Bulls and the Celtics. For the Celtics, their main reason for making the trade is getting Walker’s massive salary off their books. Aside from dumping his contract to Chicago, they would also be receiving a young point guard in White and two veteran role players in Satoransky and Aminu.
White would be an intriguing acquisition for the Celtics as he perfectly fits the timeline of franchise cornerstones Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Though he still has plenty of things that he needs to improve with his game, he has shown the potential to become an elite point guard in the league.
