Bulls hit with emphatic red flag warning amid blockbuster trade buzz

The Chicago Bulls own a pair of first-round draft picks next month, including the No. 4 overall selection thanks to some lottery luck.

While the prevailing thought is that the Bulls will end up with either Caleb Wilson or Cameron Boozer for their top selection, there has been some speculation that they could potentially trade up to No. 3 and take Ja Morant off the Memphis Grizzlies’ hands.

Essentially, the Grizzlies would move down a spot just to get out of Morant’s contract, and Chicago would be rewarded with a higher draft choice (and the ability to choose its favorite between Wilson and Boozer rather than accepting the leftover) while also potentially getting something out of Morant.

But is that actually a valid, possibly fruitful path for the Bulls?

Bulls insider Sam Smith doesn’t seem to think so, as he gave an emphatic “no” to such a potential move when asked about it in a recent mailbag.

Chicago Bulls warned to avoid Ja Morant

Memphis would surely love to dump Morant at this stage, but Smith isn’t buying.

“[Russell] Westbrook, Ja? Please, no,” Smith wrote. “The new guy [Bryson Graham] seems way smart enough not to fall into those sorts of traps. He’s also seemed to make it clear if you’ve listened to his continued emphasis on patience and building that he’s not going to make the same short term mistake the previous administration made in going all in on veterans like [DeMar] DeRozan and [Nikola] Vučević for an instant high.”

Morant has two years and roughly $87 million remaining on his contract, which would be a heck of a lot more palatable if he were actually available.

The 26-year-old has played in a grand total of 79 games over the last three seasons due to injuries and suspensions. This past year, he appeared in 20 contests and averaged 19.5 points and 8.1 assists a night on 41.0/23.5/89.7 shooting splits.

There was a time when Morant was one of the best players in basketball, but that feels like ages ago, and it probably wouldn’t be worth it for the Bulls to take on the remainder of Morant’s deal just to move up one spot in the draft.

AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson seem like near-locks to be selected first and second overall next month, so the hope is that the Grizzlies select Boozer, allowing Chicago to take the far better fit in Wilson at No. 4. But even if Wilson goes third overall to Memphis, the Bulls might just settle on Boozer.

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