It wasn’t just a blip on the radar screen.
The trade Saturday in which the Warriors acquired guard Dennis Schroder and a second-round pick from the Nets for De’Anthony Melton and three second-round picks was eye-opening.
Especially for the Bulls.
It’s only mid-December, and there’s already movement between the haves and the have-nots.
The well-traveled Schroder is having one of his better seasons, but more importantly, he’s on an expiring contract at just over $13 million. Sound familiar? Somewhat.
Bulls guard Lonzo Ball isn’t having a career year by any means. The fact that he still has a career is the headline. But he continues to show that he can be a force off the bench for a championship-caliber team, and he also has an expiring contract.
Ball is making $21.3 million, and while he’s not scoring like Schroder, the comparison per 36 minutes isn’t too far off. Schroder averages 19.8 points, 7.1 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting just under 39% from three-point range. Ball averages 13.5 points, 5.3 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals while shooting 42% from three-point range.
Any team that acquires Ball will have to deal with major health concerns and minutes restrictions, but Ball’s impact on the court doing all the little things that don’t necessarily pop up in the box score has been undeniable, especially when compared to Schroder.
The Bulls (11-15) and Nets (10-15) have similar records, yet Ball is a team-leading plus-39 in plus/minus, with only one minus game (minus-16 against the Celtics).
Schroder was minus-2 during his time with the Nets.
Should the Bulls feel left out in the cold? Far from it. In fact, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas should be excited that the Feb. 6 trade deadline is still far away and the trade-asset line already has started moving.
A source indicated that the Bulls’ goal is to continue aggressively shopping Ball, Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine, as well as any other name that makes sense. That was their focus going into the season, and it remains their focus even while some solid moments of basketball have been played.
The underlying reason is that the Bulls will keep their first-round pick in the loaded 2025 draft if they can land in the bottom 10 of the lottery; otherwise it goes to the Spurs. Karnisovas’ crew entered Sunday in 10th in the draft order.
The danger is that the nine teams below them seem more willing to unload players and ensure permanent residency in the basement. After all, prospects such as Duke’s Cooper Flagg don’t come around often.
The Bulls can forget trying to out-tank the Wizards, Pelicans, Jazz, Raptors, the Hornets team they just beat Friday, the Trail Blazers and now the Nets. The 76ers have spent the first 23 games fighting injuries but should get better, and the Pistons actually are trying to get their young roster to start playing winning basketball, believe it or not.
If the Bulls can unload Ball and Vucevic, there’s no reason why they couldn’t stay near the bottom. Moving LaVine this season remains more pipe dream than reality, according to a source, unless there’s a major injury or a seismic shift in the market.
For many, Schroder to the Warriors was nothing more than a report scrolling across the bottom of the TV. For the Bulls, however, it was hope.