The New Orleans Pelicans need to shake things up and clear future cap space, which is why they should consider trading Eric Bledsoe to the Bulls.
The Pelicans have a lot of pieces that don’t currently fit and Bledsoe is probably one of them, as he does not provide the type of wing defense or shooting that the Pelicans need.
He has been rumored in trades to teams like the Clippers, but they don’t really have the contracts to send back.
I’ve outlined how trading Bledsoe is crucial to keeping Lonzo Ball long term, so the Pels need to be more worried about finding an expiring contract in a trade than the talent they take back.
However, there are some trades to the Bulls in which the Pels could get their expiring deals while also taking a flyer on a player who could help them in the future.
New Orleans Pelicans: A trade of Eric Bledsoe to the Chicago Bulls
Here is a trade that might work for both teams:
In this trade, the Bulls get the veteran guard that they covet and the Pelicans get a trio of expiring contracts that would open up some future cap space for re-signing Lonzo Ball.
None of these three players are really going to help the Pelicans now, so making a trade like this would essentially be waiving the white flag if you are New Orleans.
The opposite is true for the Bulls, who would love to make the playoffs this season and might feel adding a veteran guard would help get them there.
So who would say no? Let’s take a look.
New Orleans Pelicans: Would Bulls trade for Eric Bledsoe?
The Bulls are getting an All-NBA type season out of Zach LaVine but still find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.
They are 9th in the East but would love to make the playoffs to show LaVine that they are headed in the right direction. Otherwise he might start looking for greener pastures when he is a free agent after next season and will have a lot of options.
Bledsoe would give them a veteran who can defend and take some of the pressure off LaVine and Coby White, who the Bulls might prefer to bring off the bench.
Bledsoe would upgrade the Bulls’ depth and wouldn’t cost them anything but a trio of players who are not currently in their long-term plans.
The Bulls are still not a good team but they have some exciting young talent and might feel like this is the season to try and make that leap into the playoffs so they can convince LaVine to stay for the long term.
If they can add a veteran guard who is shooting well and can still defend without giving up anything then why not?
New Orleans Pelicans: Trading Eric Bledsoe to the Bulls
This one is an even bigger no-brainer for the Pelicans, who need to move off Bledsoe’s contract if they want any chance to re-sign Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart.
Unfortunately, Bledsoe doesn’t have a whole lot of value on the trade market, so expiring deals are pretty much the best the Pels can hope to get.
However, they can at least take a flyer on Chandler Hutchinson, who has missed most of the season with injury but could be a nice fit on the Pelicans in the future as a wing defender who can shoot.
If he doesn’t work out, then the Pels can simply decline his team-friendly option for next season and let him walk but either way he wouldn’t threaten their future cap flexibility.
Valentine and Temple could either be waived or simply allowed to leave in free agency, as their contracts would just be filler to make the salaries work.
This trade would clear Bledsoe’s future cap hold off the books, and get the Pels a player that they can at least take a long look at in the offseason.
Either way, it is not a risk and something that really needs to happen as the Pels try to clear cap space and retool their roster.
This isn’t a blockbuster, but it would help the New Orleans Pelicans build for the future.