Cost
Unlike Jeremy Lin, Tristan Thompson, Wesley Matthews, and other players that the Blazers have been connected to in trade rumors, Bullock carries a small salary. He carries a cap hit of only $2.5 million this season, which could make a potential deal much easier. The Blazers would not have to convince the Pistons to take on a player on an overpriced contract such as Evan Turner or Meyers Leonard or give up a first-round pick to dump salary. Instead, they could theoretically offer a player with a low salary and draft picks.
So what is a fair price for Bullock? Justin Holiday is around the same age, on a low priced expiring contract, and had a similar scoring average to Bullock’s before he was traded, so let’s take a look at the trade that sent Justin Holiday to the Memphis Grizzlies.
It should be noted that the Bulls have since waved Brooks. So Portland would need to include two second-round picks and players with low cap figures. Since Bullock is a better basketball player than Holiday, the players should certainly carry more value than Brooks and Selden Jr. Here is a trade that could work.
In this deal, the Pistons would acquire Nik Stauskas and Caleb Swanigan, who was a first round pick in 2017 and still has potential. Stauskas gives them another shooter to help space the floor for Griffin and Drummond.
The Blazers would also take back Jose Calderon to make the salaries work. Calderon is having an abysmal season and is shooting only 23.1 % from three. Meanwhile, the Blazers would acquire Bullock who would help the team contend immediately.