NBA Insider Jake Fischer recently spoke on the Chicago Bulls and their offseason moves. Citing the trade that sent Lonzo Ball to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Fischer expressed his belief that the Bulls could have gotten a better deal done if they had simply waited and hashed out a deal with the Golden State Warriors.
“I do know that [Jonathan] Kuminga’s representation was trying to figure out some sign-and-trade scenario that would have gotten both Josh Giddey and Jonathan Kuminga paid in Chicago,” Fischer said on his latest show. “And I think that was something that would have been more likely if the Bulls waited and had Lonzo Ball to send back to Golden State instead of that deal that they already made with Cleveland.”
That is a tough pill to swallow if you’re a Bulls fan. Not only did the team jump the gun on a deal for Lonzo, but they may have also directly cost themselves the chance at landing a young forward who still has real upside as a two-way starter in this league. Chicago instead settled for Isaac Okoro, a player who might help on the margins but probably does not have nearly the ceiling Kuminga does.
Bulls missed an opportunity to potentially get Kuminga
Kuminga has been far from perfect during his time in Golden State, but he has flashed enough over the past few seasons that a fresh start could have suited him perfectly. With elite athleticism, strength, and an improved feel for cutting and transition scoring, he showed signs of being a long-term fit as a versatile forward in the modern NBA. If Chicago is going to rebuild, a player like Kuminga is exactly the kind of flier that would have been worth betting on.
To be fair, the Bulls are in a difficult position. They are trying to establish some level of stability as they transition into a younger core, but the margin for error is incredibly small when you are constructing a roster in a post-star era. That is why moves like the Lonzo-for-Okoro trade need to be executed with careful planning.
Perhaps the front office truly believed that no deal with Golden State was coming. Maybe they feared losing Okoro to another suitor if they waited too long. But when you stack the value of a high-ceiling athlete like Kuminga against the known value of Okoro, it is difficult not to question the decision-making.
The opportunity to acquire a potential breakout forward might have changed the entire timeline for the franchise. Instead, Chicago is left wondering what could have been. There is still time to pivot and build something meaningful, but the Bulls might look back on this particular decision as a missed opportunity that set their rebuild back.
