CHICAGO — The NBA’s offseason landscape is starting to take shape — and there’s good news for the Chicago Bulls and their possible point guard options. Two intriguing potential targets emerged last weekend that the Bulls could explore to help fill their need.
First, Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie declined his $12.3 million player option for next season and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Then, after yet another disappointing second-round exit following their Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, the Philadelphia 76ers seem almost certain to explore trade options for Ben Simmons.
The Bulls probably needed point guard help even before the news broke of Coby White’s left shoulder surgery earlier this month, but with the start of his season in question, adding to that position should be an even higher priority.
The point guard options are not limited to these two players, but the Bulls should explore both Simmons and Dinwiddie as possibilities for their team. Let’s take a look at the fit for each player.
Exploring a trade for Ben Simmons
Let’s be clear, Simmons is a better player than his embarrassing performance in Game 7 on Sunday night and is certainly capable of more than he showed in the entire series against the Hawks.
He will turn 25 in July and is already a three-time All-Star with All-Defensive and All-NBA team showings under his belt. Simmons is an excellent playmaker in transition and legitimately one of the best and most versatile defensive players in the league (even during his lousy Game 7, the 6-foot-11 Simmons gave 6-foot-1 Trae Young fits on the perimeter).
But his flaws that got exposed in these playoffs have been a common theme for why Philadelphia has lost in the second round three of the past four seasons. Simmons’ refusal to shoot and seeming disinterest in developing his offensive game is a reason to approach with caution, especially in a league dominated by perimeter scoring. Yes, Simmons does a lot on the court, but where he struggles happens to be the most important. And he comes with $147 million remaining on a contract that runs through 2025.
It has made Simmons a divisive player by those insistent on pointing out all the good while ignoring the bad or vice versa.
Should the Bulls be the team to pull the trigger on a trade?
On paper, Simmons has the perfect skills to complement Zach LaVine in the backcourt. Simmons is young and could be the playmaker the team has lacked while cleaning up some shaky backcourt defense. LaVine is an elite scorer and offensive player, but can still get exposed at times defensively. Simmons is an elite defensive player, but in crunch time during the playoffs he’s been a liability on the offensive end. Finding a way to pair those two with Nikola Vucevic, who shot over 40% from 3 this year, could work wonders.
The issue here is finding a trade match that does not include LaVine.
Philadelphia still has Joel Embiid, who played like an MVP candidate when healthy and is in the prime of his career at 27. The 76ers will want to take advantage of his best years, so a package centering around the Bulls’ intriguing young talent — White, 19-year old Patrick Williams or whatever remaining draft capital the Bulls have left — doesn’t seem enticing.
A swap of LaVine for Simmons could have made sense six months or a year ago. It’s hard to fathom how it does now. Not when LaVine is coming off his best season, making his first All-Star team and forcing everyone to reimagine his ceiling while Simmons’ limitations were just on display for everyone to see.
So, if LaVine is off the table and the 76ers are going to explore trades for Simmons, Philly is likely to have better — and more proven — options than what the Bulls can offer.
Signing Spencer Dinwiddie in free agency
While Simmons’ name got all the headlines this weekend, Dinwiddie could be just as enticing. And the Bulls have a cleaner path toward acquiring him.
Dinwiddie, 28, played in just three games last season because of a partially torn ACL, but he could be seeking a new home outside of Brooklyn where he can play a bigger role in an offense. Enter the Bulls, a team that could allow Dinwiddie to get back to his form from his last full season in 2019-20. With Kevin Durant still recovering from a torn Achilles and Kyrie Irving in and out of the lineup, Dinwiddie averaged 20.6 points and 6.8 assists per game.
The Bulls could use that kind of production and someone capable of running the offense next to LaVine and Vucevic.
Dinwiddie is a skilled passer who attacks the rim, gets to the free-throw line, and at 6-foot-5, would add good positional size to the backcourt, which should help defensively. He does lack consistency as a 3-point shooter, however, converting on only 31.8% in his career.
But Dinwiddie also seems likely to come at a manageable price tag for the Bulls in free agency. He’ll be seeking a raise from the roughly $13 million he was owed, but the uncertainty of his injury might be enough to keep that price from ballooning too high. So, while it would take some maneuvering to clear cap room — renouncing Tomas Satoransky and/or Thad Young — the Bulls could find a match. Or they could work out some sort of sign-and-trade with the Nets.
The Bulls should at least check in on both Dinwiddie and Simmons to see if they can meet their price tag. But regardless, if they strike out on both of these players, fans can be excited that the Bulls have options. The point guard market is starting to look robust, and it’ll be interesting to see who the Bulls can come away with.
