NEWSLETTER
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Knicks will be selecting Duke’s RJ Barrett with the No. 3 overall pick tomorrow night (*sarcastic gasp*).
Here’s the latest:
Vanderbilt guard Darius Garland had his workout with the Knicks today, but New York remains locked on selecting Duke’s RJ Barrett with the NBA Draft’s third overall pick on Thursday, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 19, 2019
Yesterday, we got to live in a fantasy world where the Knicks screw everything up and take point guard Darius Garland third overall. While we all knew – deep down – this wasn’t going to happen, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony at least gave us a bit of hope when he reported that Garland was under “serious consideration” by New York.
Either the workout didn’t go too hot or the Knicks were blowing smoke (most likely the latter), but either way, this confirms that Garland will be available when the Pelicans are on the clock with the No. 4 pick.
Now, why does that matter to you? Well, the Bulls have been rumored as the organization most teams around the league believe would target the No. 4 spot. The Pelicans are completely open for business (especially if Barrett is off the board), and trading up three spots from the No. 7 overall pick would solidify the Bulls landing a point guard (be Garland or White). Yet again, if the Bulls are patient, it’s very possible that White falls to them at No. 7, so unless the team is absolutely in love with Garland, it may not be worth losing an asset like a future first-round pick via trade for the opportunity.
If the Bulls decide not to tackle the point guard position in the draft, the team will be left with a big task in free agency.
Fortunately, just around the same time Woj reported this news, Sports Illustrated reporter Jake Fischer broke that the Oklahoma City Thunder are looking to dump some contracts.
Oklahoma City has increased its efforts this afternoon to shed salary along with the No. 21 pick en route to dodging luxury tax, league sources say. Steven Adams, Andre Roberson, Dennis Schroeder all very available at the moment.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) June 19, 2019
Technically, the Bulls could be in the running for any of these guys, but the idea of targeting Dennis Schroder could make a lot of sense. Grabbing the No. 21 overall pick along with a 25-year-old point guard wouldn’t be too shabby, especially when considering you may be able to get both for a bargain if the Thunder become super desperate (which, sounds like, they kind of already are).
Schroder has been a pretty consistent player in this league. He had several strong years with the Atlanta Hawks before being traded to the Thunder before last season. He put up 15.5 points per game with 4.1 assists per game in his first season with OKC, all while having to play alongside Russell Westbrook and Paul George.
He is owed a remaining $31,000,000 million on his contract over the next two years, but considering his productivity on the court, it seems like a fair price to pay. Personally, I’ve always liked the way Schroder has played, and he just seems like a team player who could mesh really well alongside the likes of top-scorers Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen. He also brings plenty of playoff experience to the roster with five appearances under his belt.
I’m not sure whether Chicago will decide to get involved with this, but I wouldn’t hate to see it. At the end of the day, it’s all about what OKC is demanding in return.
