The Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings, two hapless No. 9 seeds with little future to speak of, both lost their Play-In bouts on Wednesday evening.
Neither game was particularly close. Tyler Herro dropped 38 points en route to a 19-point Miami Heat victory. Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks rebounded from the worst press conference PR of all time to demolish Sacramento, 120-106. Anthony Davis put up 27 points and nine rebounds in a vintage performance. Klay Thompson also turned back the clock with 23 points.
When the Mavs, in their current state, so thoroughly outclass your team in a game of consequence, it warrants a moment for reflection. The Kings didn't exactly reflect, though. Monte McNair was "mutually" let go literally minutes after the final horn. It has become clear that he wanted out long ago. Scott Perry, a flunked GM in New York, was hired a day later.
As for the Bulls, Miami hasn't been very compelling since the Jimmy Butler trade. Erik Spoelstra teams take on special voodoo powers in the postseason, but in reality, Chicago was a star-less bunch of has-beens and young guns fighting tooth and nail for a chance to lose on this meaningless stage. This is exactly what Artūras Karnišovas' wonky trade deadline was building toward.
Both teams need a hard reset this summer. Why not help each out?
Well... because there's no way it ends well, actually. These front offices should stay as far away from one another as possible.
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An obvious Bulls-Kings trade would keep both teams stuck in neutral
The Kings were forced into making the ill-advised decision to swap De'Aaron Fox for Zach LaVine at the trade deadline, going all-in on a duo with DeMar DeRozan that famously underperformed in Chicago. The Bulls, meanwhile, finally took a step toward a rebuild with the LaVine trade, then did nothing else and kept the roster maddeningly adequate. Chicago receiving its own first-round pick was part of the trade, but that pick was top-10 protected to San Antonio. Essentially, if the Bulls just tanked like they should have, the pick would've conveyed to Chicago without the trade.
Both teams are incompetently run. Ownership cares a little too much in Sacramento, as Vivek Ranadivé continues to undermine his own employees with haphazard decisions and a warped power structure. Ownership doesn't care enough in Chicago. That front office churns out middling roster after middling roster and nothing is done about it.
Putting the Bulls and Kings brass together for another trade threatens nuclear catastrophe, but there is a world in which both can justify, at least internally, a trade centered on Domantas Sabonis. But please... just don't.
It might look something like this.
On the surface, acceptable value all around. The Bulls get younger in the frontcourt with Sabonis, whose ability to raise a team's floor in the regular season is well documented. The Bulls shouldn't be shelling out major assets for B-level stars, to be clear, but Chicago's front office remains committed to the vain pursuit of the No. 8 seed, so this aligns with their organizational priorities.
Sabonis would absolutely spice up the Bulls offense with his playmaking and post scoring. Nikola Vučević offers plenty of skill dynamism in his own right, but he's six years older and he's just not the advantage creator that Sabonis is at this stage in their respective careers. Sabonis always flames out in the playoffs — it's a troubling trend — but man, those regular season numbers are bonkers. Just check out his Basketball Reference page.
Sacramento replaces Sabonis with a better shooter and a comparable rebounder in Vooch. Patrick Williams hasn't taken off like expected in Chicago, but he could benefit from a location change. Sacramento's free-flowing offense — plus the built-in familiarity with DeRozan, LaVine, and Vučević — make it a strong fit. The Kings bank another first-round pick for their troubles, as Sabonis is a perennial All-NBA candidate, whether we want to call it a mirage or not.
Sacramento galaxy-braining their way to DeRozan, LaVine and Vučević (and Williams) is peak comedy, but it's probably not good business on the basketball front. 'Bulls West' is not a successful team-building strategy, but again, the Kings are prone to being the Kangz, so crazier things have happened. Flipping Sabonis this offseason certainly feels possible; he may straight-up ask out. If Chicago comes knocking, well... godspeed, everybody.