Bulls eyeing Lakers big man for front court help |
With NBA free agency set to begin on Friday, expect the rumor mill to start heating up for the Chicago Bulls. Some NBA insiders expect the Bulls to pursue the trade market for frontcourt help.
One of the teams to keep an eye on is the Los Angeles Lakers, as initial reports have the Bulls eyeing Mo Bamba as a potential frontcourt candidate. Bamba was a former Top-5 pick by the Orlando Magic and was linked to the Bulls a few seasons ago before electing to sign elsewhere. According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Bamba is potentially looking to move on from the Lakers and has stated he would love to play in Chicago. That is a trade the Bulls can make if they don't have to overpay for him. When it comes to Bamba, he is still only 25 years old with tons of potential, although he has failed to reach that potential since landing in the NBA. The seven-foot, 230-pound Bamba was seen as a defensive specialist when he was drafted but did show significant improvement in his offensive game during his time with the Magic. He has also said he wanted to play for the Bulls for the past couple of seasons, but a deal was never made for whatever reason. This could be the opportunity for both sides to come to an agreement, and he would be a significant upgrade to the Bull's lack of frontcourt help. Bamba is coming off a very disappointing season with the Lakers, where he missed more than a month with a high ankle sprain. Going further than that, he did very little on the court, averaging 3.7 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 0.6 BPG. However, he did that in less than 10 minutes per game and shot 31% from distance. Given his numbers last season, some may wonder why they traded for him. Well, the answer is simple. The guy has potential and has suffered from a minimal role since coming into the league, which has hindered his potential. Going back to his time with the Magic, you will notice his numbers still weren't great, but they were better than his Laker days thus far. Bamba averaged 7.3 PPG and 4.6 RPG with the Magic while shooting around 40% from deep. He did that in 17 minutes, so you can see what an increase in minutes does for him. Initially, a guy that was viewed as a 15-point, 10-rebound type of player, Bamba, may never reach those levels, but he could give you close to 10 points with a consistent role. With a non-guaranteed contract of $10.3 million that becomes fully guaranteed in a few days, you could see the Lakers move on before that deal becomes official. Should that happen, Bamba would be a free agent making him easier to acquire for the Bulls. Should that happen, Bamba will get around five million per season and is an instant upgrade from Tony Bradley Jr., who played sparingly last season. Ideally, the Bulls and Bamba, for that matter, would love to get more offensive production out of him, but that is not what he is known for. He is a defensive specialist and one known as a rim protector. Guys like that don't fall into your lap, but they need to be added when one does. Drummond already picked up his player option, but after being used far less than he expected to be last season, he could be a trade option this year. If that happens, the Bulls will need someone to pick up his slack on the front court, and Bamba is the perfect fit. He would come cheap, is a young player the Bulls could build around, and wants to play for this team. Those are the type of players any team would love to have, so it is up to the Bulls to make this work and figure something out.
