In this trade idea, the Miami Heat would send Hassan Whiteside and Dion Waiters to the Chicago Bulls in return for Jabari Parker and Robin Lopez.
And per ESPN’s Malika Andrews, we know that Lopez is definitely on the market and would make sense if he was paired with the infamous Parker:
"The Bulls are working to get at least a second-round pick in a trade for Lopez and his $14 million expiring contract, league sources said. So far, there have been no discussions of a contract buyout, league sources said. If teams sense that Lopez could be bought out and become a free agent, there’s less of an incentive for a team to give up an asset to acquire him prior to the deadline in a trade."
If the Heat could pry away Lopez to back up a newly starting center in Bam Adebayo, that could be a huge move for Miami moving forward, who has been looking to get Bam more minutes anyways. And as for Parker, he has had his own difficulties being coached in Milwaukee and now in Chicago, and it may just be up to Spo to try and coach the highly touted wing.
Ultimately, this move would be a smart one for Miami, as they would clear up a lot of cap space and give them more viable depth that doesn’t necessarily affect the team chemistry the way Whiteside or Waiters have in the past.
Plus, the addition of parker as solid wing or questionably a stretch four would be a lot of fun for a team that needs a younger version of James Johnson.
Our next move will be fairly similar in the talent swap, and also with a team that has had their fair share of drama.