According to a report courtesy Marc Stein of ESPN, the Chicago Bulls are discussing a trade with the Washington Wizards, where they would move All-Star forward Luol Deng, and retain the No.3 pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
The most likely trade construction, if talks were to progress to the serious stage, would send Deng to the Wizards for the No. 3 pick and center Emeka Okafor, who would have to formally opt into his contract for next season ($14.5 million) this week for the trade to go through.
Yet it’s worth noting that Cleveland, sources say, has interest in Deng as well … and there will surely be other potential trade partners to surface if the Bulls decide they’re legitimately ready to part with Deng after years of flirting with the idea.
This would be a good a trade for both teams. The Wizards would get a productive veteran to complement their young core, and the Bulls would get a lottery pick that doesn’t add a hefty salary to their luxury-taxed roster going forward.