The 2018-2019 season has been nothing but ideal for the Chicago Bulls. There’s a few moves to get on the right track for the 2019-2020 campaign.

The Chicago Bulls will clearly be sellers at the deadline, as they will look to move some players in order to get young assets, draft picks, and financial flexibility via cash. Although nothing has been close to successful this season for the Bulls, let’s take a look at what a successful (and realistic) trade deadline may look like for GarPax.

The obvious trade candidates

Bulls Send Robin Lopez to Houston for Brandon Knight and a 2020 lottery-protected 1st Round Pick

The Houston Rockets have been not been a very talked about destination for Robin Lopez, however, a deal such as this makes all too much sense. Clint Capela recently had hip surgery, and the Rockets are pretty shallow at the center position to begin with. Receiving Lopez would be a great addition to replace Capela short-term and also provide a solid backup on an expiring deal for a playoff push. Houston would also be able to unload Brandon Knight’s $15 million that he is owed for next season, giving them some much needed cap space this summer.

As for the Bulls, obviously gaining a first round pick will be a major win in exchange for Lopez. But, it has been rumored that the Bulls are looking to add a veteran point guard to the roster. Although Brandon Knight‘s cap hit would carry into next season, as I stated in a previous article, the Bulls are unlikely to haul in any big fish this summer, so the cap hit would not be too huge of a deal.

Jabari Parker joins LeBron James in LA in exchange for KCP, Michael Beasley, 2020 and 2021 2nd round picks

Today, it was reported by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst that the Los Angeles Lakers are interested in a Kentavious Caldwell-Pope–Jabari Parker swap. This move does not work out mathematically, thus, Michael Beasley would need to be thrown in to balance out the salaries. The only way that this trade benefits Chicago is if they were to receive draft picks, hence the two second rounders sent to the Windy City in this deal.

In this, the Lakers get a scorer at the 4 spot, as it appears there will be no Anthony Davis trade until at least over the summer, while the Bulls receive two expiring deals and two future draft picks that may not mean a whole lot, but hey, it’s better than a buyout. The Lakers will then be able to decline Parker’s team option for next season and remain flexible with the cap.