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Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls
As a rebuilding team, the Chicago Bulls must begin putting value in the acquisition of future draft picks. Not only can they produce cost-controlled talent, they’re also incredibly important during trade negotiations.
In a recent trade proposal from Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz, the Bulls land two future second-round picks along with veteran sharpshooter Pat Connaughton. The proposed trade looks like this:
Milwaukee Bucks Get: Jalen Smith
Chicago Bulls Get: Pat Connaughton, a 2031 second-round pick and 2032 second-round pick.
“Smith, 24, has been very productive in his first season in Chicago, averaging 8.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in just 15.3 minutes (19.6 points, 13.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per 36 minutes of play),” Swartz reasoned. “Finding bigs who can space the floor around Giannis Antetokounmpo will forever be important, and Smith has converted 37.9 percent of his threes the past two seasons.”
Losing Smith would be a blow to the Bulls front court. However, unless the front office believes it can re-tool the roster on the fly, stacking future assets must be the priority. Since the introduction of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, second-round picks are a hot commodity. The Bulls could flip those in another deal, further down the line.
In truth, the Bulls need the flexibility deals like the one Swartz is proposing would provide.
Bulls Head Coach Mulling a Rotation Change
Ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline, the Bulls acquired Tre Jones, Zach Collins and Kevin Huerter as part of the Zach LaVine trade. Collins’ addition has given the Bulls a plethora of talent at the center position.
During a recent media availability, head coach Billy Donovan discussed the notion of using a double-big lineup at some point this season.
“It’s something we need to look at (playing double-big),” Donovan said. “The only apprehension I would have with that would be: does it get in the way stylistically of how we’ve played? I don’t know that, and I also don’t want to pass judgment on those three guys [Vucevic, Collins and Jalen Smith] that two of the three can’t play together without even potentially looking at some of it in practice or a game presents itself. I don’t see us playing extended minutes like that, but I do see opportunities for that to happen.”
Multiple teams around the NBA are finding success with a similar-style rotation. However, Donovan must weigh how much two bigs impact the fluidity of his roster. Still, it’s worth experimenting with two bigs on the floor, even in short spurts.
Donvan Impressed by Tre Jones
Tre Jones has quickly found his footing in the Bulls rotation. Since joining Donovan’s team, Jones is averaging 9.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, shooting 46.2% from three-point range. That production led Chicago’s head coach to declare that Jones has the ‘IT Factor’ during a March 8 news conference.
“He’s got something, he’s got the IT factor to me,” Donovan said. “He really does. He’s just a winner. You can look at size and length for position and he probably doesn’t have any of those things. But he has really good speed, he’s really tough, he’s got a high IQ, he understands competition. He can really stay in the moment and compete. The last two games on the road he’s been great. He’s got a lot of substance, a lot of competitive character to him.”
Jones will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. As such, the Bulls must move quickly if they want to keep him around long-term. At 25 years old, he’s young enough to slot into the franchise’s rebuild and become an important member of the rotation.
Adam Taylor is a basketball reporter covering the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns for Heavy. He has also written for CelticsBlog, USA Today, Yardbarker and FanSided. Adam has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Open University. More about Adam Taylor
