Is it too soon to start firing up the trade machine again?

The Chicago Bulls are a little over a month removed from a massive trade deadline sell-off. Unfortunately for them, very little has changed about their draft positioning. The team has continued to win just enough games to stay locked into the No. 9 spot, and their victory over the Memphis Grizzlies all but erased their chances of climbing the ladder over the next 14 games.

Nevertheless, win or lose, the Bulls roster was always due for more changes this summer. They will have seven players headed toward free agency, as well as even more future draft capital to work with in the trade market. This is likely why Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz used the Bulls in two separate deals in his latest piece. Trying to come up with the perfect offseason move for every NBA squad, Swartz had Chicago continuing their trend of adding young flyers.

First things first, I encourage you to read through all his trade ideas on B/R. It’s a great way to spark some of your own thoughts! After you do that, though, I went ahead and graded his two deals that included the Bulls. Both felt worth digging into, as I wouldn’t be shocked to hear the organization’s name tied to either player in the coming months.

Bleacher Report Trade I

MY GRADE: C+

Landing a former No. 1 overall pick for nothing more than a role player and two second-round picks is hard not to like. But Zaccharie Risacher isn’t your normal No. 1 pick.

Even at the time, the Risacher selection for Atlanta felt questionable. The draft as a whole lacked any kind of obvious superstar-level talent, and Risacher at least offered the kind of well-rounded skillset that many successful wings in today’s NBA possess. He was someone who moved well off the ball, knocked down open jumpers, could guard multiple positions, and ran the floor hard. The ceiling may not have been the highest on paper, but the floor felt elevated.

In some ways, this has proven true. He’s averaged double-digit points and nearly 4.0 rebounds a night in each of his first two years. The three-point stroke has also been serviceable at 35.6 percent. At the same time, hasn’t Patrick Williams recorded similar marks during his Bulls career? I know … yikes!

I’m not trying to suggest that Risacher and Williams are the same exact players, but they do suffer from similar problems. Both lack the ability to create much off the bounce and have a tendency to disappear at times. Their finishing also leaves a lot to be desired. It’s why Risacher has found himself benched for Atlanta – let alone why he is a popular name for the trade lovers to speculate about.

With all that said … Risacher is only 20 years old and remains on a rookie deal for two more seasons. Is he destined to live up to the No. 1 pick hype? No. But there is still a lot of time for him to turn into a worthwhile role player. The catch-and-shoot potential is very much there, as is the transition scoring ability, which Josh Giddey could help highlight. The fact that he’s also not a complete zero defensively is something that would stand out even more in Chicago.

Look, the Bulls have all the money in the world and should be in asset-acquisition mode. Risacher would be another understandable dart throw among a long list of recent dart throws. He has enough of a perimeter and off-ball game to fit alongside Matas Buzelis, and he would give the Bulls more depth at a position where they have been pretty thin in recent years.

The main reason I hesitate a little with this is the involvement of Tre Jones. Making only $9.0 million in each of the next two seasons, there is a world where he quickly becomes one of the more valuable guard contracts on the market. He’s been excellent this season both off the bench and in the starting lineup, averaging 12.9 points, 5.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game on 54.8 percent shooting from the field. The Bulls blew opportunities to move Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu when they still had multiple years left on their team-friendly deals, so perhaps this front office has learned its lesson and can make more out of Jones’ rising stock.

Bleacher Report Trade II

MY GRADE: A-

My fake trade machine was full of Yves Missi deals at this past trade deadline!

Suddenly the odd man out in New Orleans after the front office overhaul and rise of big man Derik Queen, he could be a perfect fit for the Chicago Bulls’ next roster iteration. The team has lacked a dependable rim protector for years. They have instead leaned repeatedly on offensive-minded bigs, prioritizing floor-spacing and interior facilitating. While we can all understand why that may have been their approach in today’s NBA, it’s likely time to try something new.

For all the improvement Josh Giddey has made over the last year-plus, he remains a net-negative defensively. His deficiencies would stand out a whole lot less with a legitimate defensive anchor behind him. And Missi could be the perfect choice. He is an incredibly springy athlete with fierce shot-blocking instincts. The big man has averaged 1.5 blocks this season despite playing only 19.0 minutes a night. Could he stand to add a little more strength to his game? Sure, but he is still six-foot-eleven with elite length and a high motor.

Missi’s ability to also crash the glass can not be overlooked. The Bulls have ranked near the bottom of the NBA in offensive rebounding for quite some time, and Missi has averaged 3.2 boards on that end over his career so far. He is consistently fighting for the second possession and is always a threat for the thunderous putback.

To be clear, this doesn’t mean the offensive side of the ball is a strength. Missi continues to be extremely limited on this end, as he doesn’t have much of a jumper and isn’t nearly the kind of passer the Bulls are used to in the middle of the floor. But might the Bulls be willing to live with that if he solves a lot of their defensive problems? One also has to imagine Giddey would do a better job than anyone on the Pelicans at setting Missi up for more open looks at the rim.

At the end of the day, if you’re telling me all it would take is three seconds to bring Missi to Chicago, I’d do that deal in a heartbeat. We have seen enough from him at the NBA level to know that he belongs, and the Bulls are the exact kind of team that he could help most. Even if Chicago were to end up finding a higher-upside big to build around in the future, Missi would be an attractive piece to have in the rotation.