Bulls linked to $48 million trade involving former DPOY candidate

Remember when the Chicago Bulls got off to that 5-0 start? Yeah, that now feels like eons ago as the Bulls are just 15-17 and are widely viewed as sellers with the NBA trade deadline looming in just over a month.

Coby White is viewed as a prime trade candidate for Chicago, and Nikola Vucevic, Ayo Dosunmu and Kevin Huerter are also viewed as potential trade chips.

But could the Bulls be aiming to actually buy on any players ahead of the deadline?

Orlando Silva of Pippen Ain’t Easy thinks so, naming Portland Trail Blazers big man Robert Williams III as a possible trade target for Chicago.

“The Bulls could make a swing for a player who could walk away after the season if the fit isn’t the best. He is 28, seven years younger than Nikola Vucevic, with better rim-running and rim-protecting skills than the Montenegrin player,” Silva wrote. “Williams won’t make the Bulls championship contenders, but for a team with so many issues on defense, adding a player of his defensive caliber could go a long way.”

But would Chicago actually surrender anything of value for a player slated to hit free agency at the end of the season?

Robert Williams III would be a risky pickup for the Chicago Bulls

There was a time when Williams was a budding stud during his days with the Boston Celtics. Back during the 2021-22 campaign, Williams finished seventh in Defensive Player of the Year voting and was named to Second-Team All-Defense after registering 10 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks over 29.6 minutes per game.

The problem is that Williams is rarely healthy.

Over the last three seasons, the Texas A&M product has played in a grand total of 47 contests, with nearly half of them (21 to be exact) coming this year. Since entering the league in 2018, Williams has played in 60 games just once.

He signed a four-year, $48 million contract extension with the Celtics in August 2021 but was traded to the Blazers in October 2023 in the deal that sent Jrue Holiday to Boston.

The Bulls could definitely stand to upgrade defensively, but the idea of giving up assets for the oft-injured Williams — who will likely walk in the summer — just doesn’t seem like a wise move for a rebuilding team.

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