Trade Thread: Armchair GMs welcomed

[pipfan]

Russell is a real option now. Move Dunn for cap space, and (assuming Asik's $3 million is wiped) I think we are at a max.

[GimmeDat]

Russell is interesting purely because there's just not a lot of realistic top tier options at PG, but I don't really like the fit. He's a high usage on-ball guard, never been particularly efficient either. Can pass but decision making can be erratic. I don't think it works next to Lavine.

[Dez]

Russell is a real option now. Move Dunn for cap space, and (assuming Asik's $3 million is wiped) I think we are at a max.

He shouldn't be a real option, he doesn't fit and he's not worth a max contract.

[Chicago-Bull-E]

I admit that the fit isn’t ideal, but Russell was a great player last year, and was a22 year old all star. Those don’t grow on trees.

Russell, Lavine, OPJ, Lauri, WCJ, and 7 off the bench is by far the most raw talent the Bulls have had in a while. It’d be up to Boylen to figure it out.

[Ccwatercraft]

I don't think we should offer a Max contract to somebody who's stupid enough to bring weed through TSA.

First it's just plain stupid and second it means he could get suspended any day. Hes obviously hitting the pipe in the offseason.

[drosereturn]

Russell is a real option now. Move Dunn for cap space, and (assuming Asik's $3 million is wiped) I think we are at a max.

Russell should be an easy get. His max is really affordable compared to the KD's and the beauty is he is just entering his prime years.
I would try to get rid of Dunn/Felicio like the Nets did with a protected future frp and throw a max offer.
Russell/Lavine/Porter/Lauri/Carter is pretty elite lineup in terms of shooting, athleticism that can run the floor.
But I fear Russell and Lavine are a bad fit and would trade one of them after trying out for a year.

[drosereturn]

Russell is interesting purely because there's just not a lot of realistic top tier options at PG, but I don't really like the fit. He's a high usage on-ball guard, never been particularly efficient either. Can pass but decision making can be erratic. I don't think it works next to Lavine.

Bad fit shouldnt matter in this case. Russell is an all star meaning he would have a lot of trade value even after maxing.
Bulls are at a stage where they are so devoid of talent they need to use every single cap space and figure out their ceiling.
Grab the best available talent and if things dont work out (probable outcome) trade the less productive player.
Russell would obviously have to produce more than Lavine since he is getting paid more but theres a chance Lavine become another empty stat guy so its up to them if they want to remain as a Bull.

[GimmeDat]

Russell is interesting purely because there's just not a lot of realistic top tier options at PG, but I don't really like the fit. He's a high usage on-ball guard, never been particularly efficient either. Can pass but decision making can be erratic. I don't think it works next to Lavine.

Bad fit shouldnt matter in this case. Russell is an all star meaning he would have a lot of trade value even after maxing.
Bulls are at a stage where they are so devoid of talent they need to use every single cap space and figure out their ceiling.
Grab the best available talent and if things dont work out (probable outcome) trade the less productive player.
Russell would obviously have to produce more than Lavine since he is getting paid more but theres a chance Lavine become another empty stat guy so its up to them if they want to remain as a Bull.

We're not talking about a perennial All-Star here though, we're talking about a guy who had a career season in perfect circumstances for him. No one has great trade value after maxing.

You could easily overpay him, put him on this team, he would perform (relatively) poorly, and suddenly you have a liability of a contract and you've compromised you're ability to sign anyone in 2021 when our next big cap space year was lined up. And god forbid he gets back in an injury rut again on top of that.

Seems like a short-sighted decision, imo.

[weneeda2guard]

I highly doubt you get Russell for less than the max.

What team is paying russell the max?

Teams that miss out Kyrie, Durant, or Kawhi.

Knicks, clippers, Lakers,

If those teams are dumb enough to hand him a max, you shake their hands and move on to the next option. We shouldn't offer him anymore than 20 mill, because that is the kind of player he is, he is not a max player. Maybe he will fall back wait for the dominoes to fall and hope a team is dumb and desperate and give him a max. I personally don't think any team is that dumb to hand him a max , the Lakers def won't hand him a max to bring him back, the Knicks have dennis smith Jr so they only need to replace him if kyrie coming , and I don't think the Clippers are that crazy but maybe they are.

My point is, while the league is on stand still waiting to see what kyrie, Durant and kawhi does, the bulls should be making guys like kemba russell , Beverly their 1st priorities and hopefully lock them in before the next super team try to assemble.

[Chi town]

Russell is a real option now. Move Dunn for cap space, and (assuming Asik's $3 million is wiped) I think we are at a max.

He shouldn't be a real option, he doesn't fit and he's not worth a max contract.

Exactly. Stay far far away. He’s worse than Lonzo solely due to contract alone.

[weneeda2guard]

BTW I think russell and Lavine can work. Imo lavine needs to become a off the ball, klay Thompson type of player I think he will be better in that kind of role. He only took a lot of ball handling responsibility because we were basically void at pg, with dunn regressing and arci having a 3rd string ceiling. Lavine is better on the open floor on the move. Russell role would also change a bit as with Brooklyn he had to be high usage to succeed, but with the bulls he has options to share the ball with, lavine porter Jr and lauri along with whoever we take at 7th.

[aramada]

Russell is a real option now. Move Dunn for cap space, and (assuming Asik's $3 million is wiped) I think we are at a max.

He shouldn't be a real option, he doesn't fit and he's not worth a max contract.

Exactly. Stay far far away. He’s worse than Lonzo solely due to contract alone.

Russell is a 23 year old all star whom we can reasonably expect will continue to improve as a play maker. Overpaying him is a concern, but keep in mind that the cap is expected to raise significantly in 20-21 and 21-22. That will soften the blow a little bit. As far as fit, I don’t see an available player who fits perfectly, unless you want to spend the #7 on Conley. With Russell (+ #7) you get the combination of immediate production and upside that no other available guard can offer

[Chi town]

He shouldn't be a real option, he doesn't fit and he's not worth a max contract.

Exactly. Stay far far away. He’s worse than Lonzo solely due to contract alone.

Russell is a 23 year old all star whom we can reasonably expect will continue to improve as a play maker. Overpaying him is a concern, but keep in mind that the cap is expected to raise significantly in 20-21 and 21-22. That will soften the blow a little bit. As far as fit, I don’t see an available player who fits perfectly, unless you want to spend the #7 on Conley. With Russell (+ #7) you get the combination of immediate production and upside that no other available guard can offer

Russell fits on paper but not in reality.

Poor defender. 3pt chucker. Ball dominant. Doesn’t move off ball. Doesn’t make anyone better.

He’s an awful fit next to Lavine.

[sco]

I don't get why folks think that BKN won't be matching offers for Russell. The Crabbe move seemed to me as their way of assuring they could afford to keep Russell after signing Kyrie.

If there's a guy to target from BKN it's RHJ. I think bringing in Prince seals his departure. He'd be a great guy to land as a FA for <$10M/yr.

[aramada]

Exactly. Stay far far away. He’s worse than Lonzo solely due to contract alone.

Russell is a 23 year old all star whom we can reasonably expect will continue to improve as a play maker. Overpaying him is a concern, but keep in mind that the cap is expected to raise significantly in 20-21 and 21-22. That will soften the blow a little bit. As far as fit, I don’t see an available player who fits perfectly, unless you want to spend the #7 on Conley. With Russell (+ #7) you get the combination of immediate production and upside that no other available guard can offer

Russell fits on paper but not in reality.

Poor defender. 3pt chucker. Ball dominant. Doesn’t move off ball. Doesn’t make anyone better.

He’s an awful fit next to Lavine.

I’m not pretending that Russell is even a good fit on paper at the moment. “Making others better” is difficult to measure, but I’ll just mention that he had the second Assist rate in the league last season after improving that number at a steady rate since his rookie season.
As a 22-win team we are in desperate talent accumulation mode. Russell would definitely make the team better. You can always make adjustments later (trade LaVine for instance) once more wins means better value for everyone.

Ps: i argued for Rubio in the other thread because he may be a cheap stop gap. But I’d prefer Russell by far

[aramada]

I don't get why folks think that BKN won't be matching offers for Russell. The Crabbe move seemed to me as their way of assuring they could afford to keep Russell after signing Kyrie.

If there's a guy to target from BKN it's RHJ. I think bringing in Prince seals his departure. He'd be a great guy to land as a FA for <$10M/yr.

If BKN targets 2 maxes, then Russell is out. In addition, bringing Kyrie to be the lead guard may be a bad look as it’s Russell who led the Nets to the playoffs. But I’m speculating here.

[cjbulls]

I like Russell but he brings several questions.

Problem 1: This is his first successful year. And it happened to be a contract year.

Problem 2: It’s on a team that desperately needed his playmaking. His role wouldn’t be as playmaking heavy here. Different coaches, different system. Putting someone in a new environment is risky

Problem 3: Bulls have to wait out the matching period and it sounds like Brooklyn matches in all scenarios except for a second superstar joining them which is unlikely. His isn’t a Brogdon scenario where you can just pay more to make the Bucks uncomfortable. He needs the max to sign with Chi.

Problem 4: His success is based on jumpshooting. He doesn’t attack the basket or finish like Zach. So his years will probably have more variance in efficiency. Was this a high or low efficiency year for him? The numbers suggest most players can’t maintain his efficiency last year on long pull-ups.

I certainly wouldn’t be mad signing him, but GimmeDat is right in that the signing has a higher than average bust potential and you f’d many future plans with him on your books if it doesn’t work out.

[dougthonus]

I'd take Russell at the max if we could get him (lower level max than the 7 year vet one which is important).

I think there are plenty of things to be concerned about, but the upside in this scenario is higher than any other I've seen to date.

[RedBulls23]

I'd take Russell at the max if we could get him (lower level max than the 7 year vet one which is important).

I think there are plenty of things to be concerned about, but the upside in this scenario is higher than any other I've seen to date.

Same.

Plus there isn't a perfect unicorn PG available that will fit perfectly with rest of the team. D'Lo might not be a pure PG, but he is a play maker. Ball movement and pace should be a focus next season regardless who the PG is.

[Scalaboner]

I’d much rather try to free up max space for Kemba instead of Russell. His one season track record is suspect when throwing max money at him and fit is questionable here. Whereas Kemba is a better fit here and proven winner in both college and how he has developed in the NBA.