The Chicago Bulls still have a handful of moves to make this offseason, including one that would send shockwaves of controversy throughout the NBA.
The rebuilding Bulls are trying to move 33-year-old Nikola Vučević, but they're struggling to find suitors. Vučević would be an easier sell were he an expiring contract, but he has two years left on his deal. The New York Knicks might bite, but it's more likely that New York will hold out hope that Mitchell Robinson can stay healthy next season.
As Chicago scans the league for buyers, they're realizing that Vučević's defense makes him unattractive to contenders. The Bulls will have to make calls to middle-of-the-road or rebuilding teams such as themselves, and even then, they might have to throw in a sweetener or two to entice a Detroit or a Charlotte.
There is one radical idea that Chicago probably hasn't considered yet, and that is to pair Vučević with Lonzo Ball in exchange for an expiring max contract from another team.
Doing so would be a thrifty move for the Bulls' (as it would trim Vučević's two-year salary down to an incoming expiring), and parting ways with Ball would balance out Chicago's depth chart, which is overcrowded with ball handlers.
At the same time, one might reasonably wonder, who would willingly trade for Lonzo Ball right now?
The answer: the team that could part ways with Ben Simmons by doing so.
Before laughing out loud at a potential Simmons for Vučević-Ball exchange between the Brooklyn Nets and Bulls, take a moment to consider the current state of both franchises.
Chicago is motivated to lose as many games as possible next season to retain its top-10 selection in the important 2025 NBA Draft.
If the above trade were to happen, the Bulls could basically decide to eat Simmons' expiring contract and not play him in 2024-25 (if he's available to suit up, in the first place) and then move on from Simmons next June.
For the Nets, who presumably also plan to let Simmons walk next summer, getting any value in return for Simmons would be a massive victory.
Vučević is still a productive starting center and scorer who would pair nicely next to defensive-minded Nic Claxton in Brooklyn's frontcourt.
Ball is a huge risk, of course, but who wouldn't rather have his expiring contract than Simmons's, especially if Ball is healthy again (as has been reported) and plays himself back into trade value before February?
A deal that appears like a joke at the outset is actually a serious possibility. The money works, and the Bulls have no need for Ball in a backcourt already comprised of Josh Giddey, Coby White, and Ayo Dosunmu.
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