Chicago Bulls’ grade for Lonzo Ball-Isaac Okoro trade

Rumors about a Lonzo Ball trade have been loud all offseason, and on Saturday, the trade went down. This one had been coming for a long time as Ball was a popular name that came up around the NBA trade deadline, but Chicago decided not to deal him then. There were reports that the Bulls could’ve received a future first-round pick in a Ball trade, and they instead waited until the end of the season to trade him to the Cleveland Cavaliers for only Isaac Okoro.

Because of what the Bulls reportedly turned down for Lonzo Ball before the trade deadline, Chicago fans are not happy about this trade. In fact, Bulls fans have been pretty unhappy with just about everything that this team has done in the last few years.

The Bulls have now traded Ball, Zach LaVine, Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan in the last year. They have received zero first-round picks in exchange. Chicago wants to build from the ground up to compile a talented young core, but they aren’t getting any draft picks in these trades. Trades certainly need to happen in order for this team to turn things around, but the Bulls need to be smart about it. They didn’t make very smart moves last offseason, and this offseason isn’t off to a great start.

There is nothing the Bulls can do now. The trade is in, and Ball is gone. Isaac Okoro is the newest member of the team, so let’s grade this trade:

Bulls Lonzo Ball trade grade: C+

You might be wondering why this trade grade isn’t lower after the prior explanation. Well, if you ignore the fact that the Bulls turned down a much better deal for Ball earlier this year, this trade is okay. Now, it can’t be completely ignored, and that decision definitely factors into this trade. However, the trade itself isn’t bad.

Let’s face it: Lonzo Ball is not the player that he once was. He was a tremendous player before his injury, but going down with something that keeps you sidelined for over two years is not normal. Ball is still a serviceable player and a useful tool, but he doesn’t fit into this Chicago roster as well anymore.

Isaac Okoro isn’t anything special, but he does fit the mold a little bit better than Ball. He is a few years younger, and the injury concern that is there with Ball isn’t there with Okoro.

In terms of a direct comparison between these two players, they are very similar in terms of the impact that they will have on their teams. Both players averaged around 20 minutes per game last year, and they both averaged between 6-8 points per game. They are both solid three-point shooters as Ball shot the deep ball at a 34% clip last year, and Okoro shot it at a 37% clip.

Without the Bulls’ trade deadline blunder, there wouldn’t be a ton to talk about here. It’s a fairly even trade, and you can argue that the Bulls are getting a better fit for what they want to build. However, the fact that the trade deadline blunder happened makes this one much worse for Chicago.

A Lonzo Ball trade has been brewing for a long time, and it finally happened. Now, who is next? The Bulls are expected to be active in trade conversations this offseason, and there are a lot of other players in Chicago that are mentioned in trade rumors. We’ll see if the Bulls can make one that the fan base actually supports.