One of the Phoenix Suns' draft mishaps under James Jones was selecting Jalen Smith with the No. 10 pick in 2020. He spent a season and a half in the desert before he was traded to Indiana. Smith signed with the Bulls last summer in free agency, but his time in Chicago could end this offseason.
A few days ago, the Bulls traded Lonzo Ball to the Cavaliers for Isaac Okoro. Ball didn't fit Chicago's rebuilding phase (or whatever phase the team is in), but that doesn't mean the Bulls couldn't have gotten more for him than Okoro. Alas, that's a conversation for another day. Chicago might not (shouldn't be) done dealing, as the team could trade Smith this summer, given that the 15 minutes per game he averaged this past season could drop even lower in 2025-26 after the Okoro trade.
Smith, who turned 25 in March, fits the Bulls' young timeline. However, given the fact that Chicago signed him to a three-year deal for him to sit on the bench, it'd be wise of the front office to deal him this summer. Smith's numbers were down in 2024-25 compared to the previous two and a half seasons in Indiana, but he still has some value. He averaged 8.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game for the Bulls this past season, shooting 46.6% from the field and 32.4% from three. There has to be a team out there that needs frontcourt depth who is willing to take a flyer on Smith.
Will former Suns forward Jalen Smith get traded this summer?
Phoenix spent a lottery pick on Smith without having a fit for him. The writing was on the wall that he'd be traded after the front office didn't pick up his low-cost third-year rookie option. In doing so, the Suns caused his trade value to dip even lower.
Smith is one of many current and former NBA players who were lottery picks, but didn't come close to living up to the expectations of being drafted that high. Because of his age, there's still time for him to prove that he could be a semi-reliable bench piece, but that opportunity won't happen in Chicago. It wasn't happening even before Okoro was traded to the Bulls.
A flurry of trades has already happened this summer, and there are more to come. Perhaps Smith will be re-routed to a new team in a deal. There doesn't seem to be much of a future for him in Chicago.