With just over a week to go before the June 23 NBA draft, Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer released his weekly offseason trade chatter notebook on Tuesday, and as he has for the past several weeks, Fischer included some information about Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert’s potential trade market.
As he did last week, Fischer noted a connection with the Chicago Bulls, as “the Bulls remain invested in finding the optimal frontcourt lynchpin” to join guards DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine (LaVine was the primary subject of Fischer’s piece Tuesday).
Fischer reported that Chicago is in the market to try to trade center Nikola Vucevic and “registered interest” in Gobert, but the Bulls don’t want to trade forward Patrick Williams, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 draft.
Fischer added that “Chicago is actively discussing the No. 18 (draft) pick and (guard) Coby White with rival teams.”
Elsewhere on the Gobert front, Fischer wrote that the Atlanta Hawks could be “the most natural Gobert trade partner,” and he cited how when Danny Ainge was an executive with the Boston Celtics, he was interested in acquiring Hawks center Clint Capela.
Fischer reported, however, that the Hawks may not be willing to trade wing De’Andre Hunter, who could help the Jazz’s perimeter defense.
As such, he reported that “There has been plenty of talk among league personnel that some combination of Capela, John Collins, Kevin Huerter and the No. 16 pick” could be a potential package for Gobert.