What is the Chicago Bulls' biggest issue that has to be addressed at the trade deadline?
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As their current standing in the NBA clearly shows, the Chicago Bulls are a deeply-flawed team, and the upcoming trade deadline on February 9 presents an opportunity to address their most glaring needs. For all of the team's shortcomings on both ends of the floor, one thing that Bulls general manager Marc Eversley and executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas must add to their roster is three-point shooting.
Bottom of the league
In an era defined by a shift in offensive strategy to the perimeter game, the Bulls are woefully inadequate in this department. They rank at the bottom of the league in three-pointers attempted per game at 29.2 and threes made per game at 10.8. This apparent allergy to three-point shooting has resulted in poor spacing, making things even tougher for their isolation-heavy offense that relies on the shotmaking of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine.
Although the Bulls are in the top 10 when it comes to their three-point shooting percentage which is at 36.9%, the issue lies with the fact that they simply do not take enough shots from beyond the arc to offset their deficiencies elsewhere. As such, a player who can stretch the floor and shoot threes at an accurate rate should be high up on Chicago's priority list ahead of the trade deadline.
Who can be a target?
The Bulls have been linked to tough forward Jae Crowder of the Phoenix Suns, although traction for a potential trade has been relatively scant. Outside of Crowder, possible trade targets include Gary Trent of the Toronto Raptors, Bojan Bogdanovic of the Detroit Pistons, and Doug McDermott of the San Antonio Spurs.
With the Bulls still within striking distance of a spot in the play-in tournament, the addition of a legitimate three-point threat could go a long way in helping the team get back to the postseason. Time is ticking, and Eversley and Karnisovas must make sure that their focus on addressing this need is ironclad if they are to have any realistic chance of making the playoffs.
