Dennis Schroder, Lonzo Ball, Reggie Jackson, Dinwiddie, Cameron Payne, Lowry, take your pick

[RastaBull]

Reggie Jackson and Lonzo Ball are the top options. I'm not sure what order though.

Reggie:
He has been electric in the playoffs. It's not a full game of electric play. He's a microwave though for sure. When he feels it, you can see it in every element of his ball handling and action off the ball. He plays so crisp and determined. He's confident. He's a vet, and this is giving him another level of real winning experience as a vet.

I think Reggie would be terrific offensively with Lavine. Reggie, from what I see, feeds off the energy and intensity of team around him. Lavine's electricity is much more of a full 48 minutes so to speak, and when he's knocking down shots and getting pumped up, that's the kind of momentum I see Reggie excelling behind as well. The action those two guys, both athletic, both shooters, would be very fun, especially with Vuc as a good distributing big man who can come out to top of key (I really love the PG/Reggie/Zubac action at the top).

As a distributor, Reggie is experienced enough. He's not flashy and special. But he can play as a bonafide point guard in a well-coached lineup. When Reggie is playing with tempo and focused, I trust him very much.

Also, I do not believe this playoff performance is a flash in the pan. He has been in league long enough we have seen him with different spurts in his career. That last year in OKC you saw bonafide talent shaping into a real solid player. Then he played his first full season in Detroit and was very very good. The next several years were injury after injury, so much inconsistent playing time, and inconsistent when playing, most forgot about him. This year, he had real health again and was solid, and now we are seeing very good offensive contributor.

The issue, for the Bulls imo, is to take Reggie is to really move another step away from perimeter defensive players. Reggie is spectacular in the Clips, because at all time they have 3-4 solid-to-superb perimeter/multi-positional defenders. On the Bulls, we got none of that, and are praying for Pat to be close to it.

So I'm for Reggie, but also understand we better be a Nash-Phoenix level scoring team because we ain't gonna be winning on defense much (or alternatively, I'm for it but we better gets some real gems in the SF/tweener style to throw down big minutes of grit and grin defense).

Lonzo:
I love Lonzo as an option because of way his age fits with Lavine and others and way his skillset would bring them together to form a true identity amongst the core. He shoots the 3 now, BUT HE DEFENDS. He's got the measurables, he's got the IQ, I really think if he found himself on an exciting playoff level team, he'd commit himself and become a stud defensive player. On offense, he seems totally willing and happy to be the guy that helps Lavine be a superstar. I think Lavine and Lonzo could be a rising start backcourt. Not sure if Troy Brown is the 3 and D starter we need at SF though, but someone of his size and athletic profile with a little more shooting consistency would rock! (I hope Pat grows into a modern PF that can muscle guys inside and defend on perimeter).

[Red8911]

Bring in low cost experienced winners Vasilije Micic and Shane Larkin at PG

Use other the assets to upgrade the front court.

Get deep and have multiple shot/playmakers.

Is Micic still available? There was talk about it but then it died down. Also are the Bulls the only team trying to trade for him?

From the Micic thread:

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/262929/Vasilije-Micic-Thunder-Likely-To-Wait-Until-After-Draft-To-Decide-On-21-22

Micic and the Thunder each appear to prefer to wait until after the draft to make a decision on whether he will join the team.
_____________________________

If I had to guess, OKC wants to see what kind of 2021 draftee they can get in a trade, while Micic wants to make sure his rights are held by a team he wants to play for before he commits to joining the NBA next season.

If the Bulls talk to Micic and they agree for him to play here then the only thing left to do is make a trade with OKC. I don’t see why this wouldn’t happen during or before the draft. If OKC doesn’t plan on using him it should be easy for the bulls to get him, maybe just send them a second round pick. We just don’t know for sure that AK wants him or if he wants to target a free agent instead, we ll see what happens.

[Andi Obst]

My first post looks as stupid as my posts usually do now, but I still don’t consider Reggie Jackson as a real alternative. His shooting would certainly be nice. Other than that, though, I don’t really see the fit. Playmaking and defense are exactly Jackson‘s strengths and we need both.

Plus I think the Clippers basically have to keep him now, he’s been their third-best player in the playoffs. He’s everything the Lakers hoped to get when they traded for Schröder (Jackson >>>> Schröder BTW). I think he stays or ends up on a different contender. If he doesn’t, some non-contender will overpay him for his playoff performance. I don’t want that team to be the Bulls.

[JohnnyKILLroy]

I want Melton.......drool.

Grizz need shooting maybe something for Lauri?

[CobyWhite0]

Is Micic still available? There was talk about it but then it died down. Also are the Bulls the only team trying to trade for him?

From the Micic thread:

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/262929/Vasilije-Micic-Thunder-Likely-To-Wait-Until-After-Draft-To-Decide-On-21-22

Micic and the Thunder each appear to prefer to wait until after the draft to make a decision on whether he will join the team.
_____________________________

If I had to guess, OKC wants to see what kind of 2021 draftee they can get in a trade, while Micic wants to make sure his rights are held by a team he wants to play for before he commits to joining the NBA next season.

If the Bulls talk to Micic and they agree for him to play here then the only thing left to do is make a trade with OKC. I don’t see why this wouldn’t happen during or before the draft. If OKC doesn’t plan on using him it should be easy for the bulls to get him, maybe just send them a second round pick. We just don’t know for sure that AK wants him or if he wants to target a free agent instead, we ll see what happens.

We don't know if the Bulls are the only team interested in Micic - if he's not going to play in OKC, they will just want to trade him to wherever they'll get the most value. And that may not be to Chicago, it could be to some other team that Micic would want to join.

[Michael Jackson]

Is Micic still available? There was talk about it but then it died down. Also are the Bulls the only team trying to trade for him?

From the Micic thread:

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/262929/Vasilije-Micic-Thunder-Likely-To-Wait-Until-After-Draft-To-Decide-On-21-22

Micic and the Thunder each appear to prefer to wait until after the draft to make a decision on whether he will join the team.
_____________________________

If I had to guess, OKC wants to see what kind of 2021 draftee they can get in a trade, while Micic wants to make sure his rights are held by a team he wants to play for before he commits to joining the NBA next season.

If the Bulls talk to Micic and they agree for him to play here then the only thing left to do is make a trade with OKC. I don’t see why this wouldn’t happen during or before the draft. If OKC doesn’t plan on using him it should be easy for the bulls to get him, maybe just send them a second round pick. We just don’t know for sure that AK wants him or if he wants to target a free agent instead, we ll see what happens.

The article says they are waiting until the draft apparently. Are the Bulls the only one bidding on him?

[Michael Jackson]

From the Micic thread:

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/262929/Vasilije-Micic-Thunder-Likely-To-Wait-Until-After-Draft-To-Decide-On-21-22

Micic and the Thunder each appear to prefer to wait until after the draft to make a decision on whether he will join the team.
_____________________________

If I had to guess, OKC wants to see what kind of 2021 draftee they can get in a trade, while Micic wants to make sure his rights are held by a team he wants to play for before he commits to joining the NBA next season.

If the Bulls talk to Micic and they agree for him to play here then the only thing left to do is make a trade with OKC. I don’t see why this wouldn’t happen during or before the draft. If OKC doesn’t plan on using him it should be easy for the bulls to get him, maybe just send them a second round pick. We just don’t know for sure that AK wants him or if he wants to target a free agent instead, we ll see what happens.

We don't know if the Bulls are the only team interested in Micic - if he's not going to play in OKC, they will just want to trade him to wherever they'll get the most value. And that may not be to Chicago, it could be to some other team that Micic would want to join.

That’s the key too… if we aren’t promising him a starting job and someone else does it looks like that team might get him, otherwise he will just stay in Europe. I still think he would come here for a non starting position but has to be guaranteed a spot in the rotation, he doesn’t want to ride the pine. So the bidding war will be who can give him the most burn for him to agree and who gives OKC the best return.

[bad knees]

Put me on the Cameron Payne bandwagon. Here is a comparison of Payne and Lonzo for this past season. Cam is slightly better at every advanced stat that you might consider - PER, Win Shares, OBPM, DBPM, ORtg, DRtg, Efg%, Total Shooting %, shooting percentage on 2's, 3's and at the FT line. And Cam's per 36 numbers are all slightly better than Lonzo, except for rebounding.

We saw how Payne's numbers expanded when CP3 was out, so there is a reasonable basis to believe that he could maintain his efficiency with more minutes.

He's only 26, so he fits age-wise.

And he'll probably cost about half the price.

https://stathead.com/basketball/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&player_id1=balllo01&p1yrfrom=2021&player_id2=payneca01&p2yrfrom=2021

[Bulldog23]

Put me on the Cameron Payne bandwagon. Here is a comparison of Payne and Lonzo for this past season. Cam is slightly better at every advanced stat that you might consider - PER, Win Shares, OBPM, DBPM, ORtg, DRtg, Efg%, Total Shooting %, shooting percentage on 2's, 3's and at the FT line. And Cam's per 36 numbers are all slightly better than Lonzo, except for rebounding.

We saw how Payne's numbers expanded when CP3 was out, so there is a reasonable basis to believe that he could maintain his efficiency with more minutes.

He's only 26, so he fits age-wise.

And he'll probably cost about half the price.

https://stathead.com/basketball/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&player_id1=balllo01&p1yrfrom=2021&player_id2=payneca01&p2yrfrom=2021

Lonzo is three years younger and can defend 1 to 3 effectively. He is worth the money.

[bad knees]

Put me on the Cameron Payne bandwagon. Here is a comparison of Payne and Lonzo for this past season. Cam is slightly better at every advanced stat that you might consider - PER, Win Shares, OBPM, DBPM, ORtg, DRtg, Efg%, Total Shooting %, shooting percentage on 2's, 3's and at the FT line. And Cam's per 36 numbers are all slightly better than Lonzo, except for rebounding.

We saw how Payne's numbers expanded when CP3 was out, so there is a reasonable basis to believe that he could maintain his efficiency with more minutes.

He's only 26, so he fits age-wise.

And he'll probably cost about half the price.

https://stathead.com/basketball/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&player_id1=balllo01&p1yrfrom=2021&player_id2=payneca01&p2yrfrom=2021

Lonzo is three years younger and can defend 1 to 3 effectively. He is worth the money.

Your points are well taken, Lonzo is younger and is more defensively flexible. But what you lose with Lonzo, in addition to shooting and overall efficiency, is personal shot-creating ability. This year Lonzo was assisted at a rate of .415 on his 2's, and .837 on his 3's. Payne was assisted on .280 of his 2's, and on .680 of his 3's. We need someone who can participate more in the shot-creating effort and who can create better for himself and others.

[sco]

https://sports.yahoo.com/report-pelicans-open-trading-no-191343076.html?.tsrc=fp_deeplink

Bledsoe +10 for Aminu works $-wise, but it kills our cap flexibility for next offseason. I guess if there is some hidden gem at 10, maybe, but I think I'd prefer to keep flexibility. That said, it looks less and less like Ball will bounce our way.

[Michael Jackson]

https://sports.yahoo.com/report-pelicans-open-trading-no-191343076.html?.tsrc=fp_deeplink

Bledsoe +10 for Aminu works $-wise, but it kills our cap flexibility for next offseason. I guess if there is some hidden gem at 10, maybe, but I think I'd prefer to keep flexibility. That said, it looks less and less like Ball will bounce our way.

It does suggest that they get an asset back in that article which Aminu most certainly is not. I think they would want someone that could actually contribute more like at the very minimum Sato. #10 in this draft you could definitely still get a pretty good player for sure but yeah you have Bledsoe on the books. Looks like if he is waived by June of 2022 though he is only owed 3.9 million the following year but it puts you out of the running in 2022 FA market.

[HomoSapien]

If you did Thad for 10 and Bledsoe maybe you'd have something? Pelicans wouldn't have to pick up Thad's option and would instantly create more room to bring back Lonzo and/or Hart.

Bledsoe's rep has taken a hit the last few years, but he's still good enough to make us a little better. This trade really would be about the 10th pick and whether or not we could draft someone we feel could be special (maybe Giddy?). It is a way to recoup some of the assets from the Vuc trade and while it'd hurt our ability to sign free-agents it would give us a bigger war chest to facilitate a trade next year with Bledsoe's expiring contract, whoever we draft at 10, Williams, and Coby.

[dougthonus]

If you did Thad for 10 and Bledsoe maybe you'd have something? Pelicans wouldn't have to pick up Thad's option and would instantly create more room to bring back Lonzo and/or Hart.

Bledsoe's rep has taken a hit the last few years, but he's still good enough to make us a little better. This trade really would be about the 10th pick and whether or not we could draft someone we feel could be special (maybe Giddy?). It is a way to recoup some of the assets from the Vuc trade and while it'd hurt our ability to sign free-agents it would give us a bigger war chest to facilitate a trade next year with Bledsoe's expiring contract, whoever we draft at 10, Williams, and Coby.

If you do this type of trade (and I'm not entirely opposed to it), you give up on having max cap room next off-season. That is probably your best shot at adding a 3rd star and a legit superstar, but it's not a great shot either. Is #10 in this draft worth giving up say a 5% chance at the grand slam ball?

The other question of course is whether we will even position ourselves that way. If not, then this type of move makes a lot of sense. Not sure you're going to get #10 just for taking Bledsoe though, picks have generally sold for a lot more than that. Pelicans can probably dump Bledsoe with one of their extra, lesser picks.

[nomorezorro]

correct me if i'm wrong, but if you stretch bledsoe's $3.9 million guarantee and pick at #15 in 2022, you're basically on the edge of having max space between vuc/white/williams/pelicans pick/lavine hold/rookie hold, right? obviously that's a hail mary that's not very promising but the route is still there if you want it

bledsoe is a deeply flawed player, but that matters less if you're not a serious contender, which we won't be next year. it's far from ideal but i think i'd rather take a risk on a bounceback year from him on a team with better spacing than sign lonzo to a big-money long-term contract (if we can get a lotto pick to go along with bledsoe).

I think one thing we've learned is that it sucks to not even be able to put together a "squint and you can sell yourself on it" package for a disgruntled star. if nothing else, i'd be aggressive about pursuing draft picks for that reason.

[The 6ft Hurdle]

Cameron Payne hasn't shown much this series aside from the one game. Annoying more than someone to be feared.

[Am2626]

Cameron Payne hasn't shown much this series aside from the one game. Annoying more than someone to be feared.

He sprained his ankle and hasn’t been the same since then.

[The 6ft Hurdle]

Cameron Payne hasn't shown much this series aside from the one game. Annoying more than someone to be feared.

He sprained his ankle and hasn’t been the same since then.

Forgot about that, oh well. For the sake of the Clips, hope he keeps being a nonfactor.

[Am2626]

Cameron Payne hasn't shown much this series aside from the one game. Annoying more than someone to be feared.

He sprained his ankle and hasn’t been the same since then.

Forgot about that, oh well. For the sake of the Clips, hope he keeps being a nonfactor.

Kawhi Leonard is out again for game 6. Don’t know why they are still doing this day to day thing with him. It’s annoying that his injuries are always hush hush. Just be open and transparent about it. It’s going to be hard for the Clippers to win this series without him though.

[Chicago-Bull-E]

The Reggie Jackson talk is nonsense. The guy averaged 3 assists per game. What do you guys think the Bulls need in a point guard? More scoring? That’s the wrong answer.