2. Chicago Bulls
That sound you heard coming out of the Windy City earlier this week was the collective sigh of buyer’s remorse from Chicago Bulls fans when it was reported that Otto Porter Jr. would be clogging up their cap space by opting in for the final year and $28.5 million of his deal.
Porter was actually quite good after the initial trade to Chi-Town, averaging 17.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game on a scorching 48.8 percent shooting from 3-point range. Unfortunately, that was only a 15-game sample size in a miserable season, and Porter was limited to just 14 games last season due to injury. Suffice it to say he and the Bulls would probably be just fine with a clean split. What better place than his former NBA home, with the Wizards team that drafted him?
When Porter left the Wiz, they were toxic. But Wall wouldn’t be there this time, and Porter’s 3-and-D potential might get the chance to shine through alongside Beal once more. He and a veteran like Thaddeus Young could help get Washington back to the postseason just for how much they’d improve the team’s depth, defense and experience.
That seems like a favorable investment to get Wall off the books, and they’d come without long-term baggage; Porter is a free agent in 2021, while Young’s contract for 2021-22 is non-guaranteed. Because this trade is fairly one-sided, the Wizards would have to give up a future first-rounder.
From Chicago’s perspective, they’re shedding two players who underwhelmed and don’t really have a defined place in the rebuild. In return, they’d add a former star floor general who might still be an upgrade over what they currently have at the 1-spot. Tomas Satoransky is not a bad player by any means, and he’s probably a safer bet to stay healthy for a whole season, but it’s clear whose ceiling is higher, even with Wall coming off two injury-ravaged seasons.
Satoransky is just okay as a starting 1, while Coby White is more of a microwave bench scorer than a legitimate point guard at this point in his young career. Upgrading to Wall for a couple of years might be worth it if they can restore his value and continue to build through youth. Pocketing an extra first-rounder for taking on a bad contract just comes with that territory.