NEWSLETTER
With the trade deadline less than 24 hours away, I can only imagine all of the conversations going on inside the Bulls front office.
Arturas Karisovas and Marc Eversley have a roster that includes only two of their own hand-picked players (Patrick Williams and Garrett Temple). So if we combine that fact with the Bulls 19-23 record that sits just 2.0 games out of a tie for the 5th seed, it’s not hard to find reasons why this organization might want to make moves by Thursday’s 2:00 p.m. CT deadline.
After all, we know that if this team wants to take a step in the right direction, they will need to address deficiencies at the point guard and center position. Coby White – while still very much in the development phase of his career – has not inspired much confidence that he can be the reliable floor general the Bulls were hoping for. Meanwhile, Wendell Carter Jr. has struggled to adapt to his bigger workload. The third-year big man has struggled to stay aggressive on the offensive end, and some of his confidence issues have appeared to hinder his all-around performance. But even though both have come up short at their respective positions this season, most trade rumors have revolved around guards.
Thus far, the Bulls have been the most connected to the New Orleans Pelicans’ Lonzo Ball. Then, in recent days, we have seen players like Spencer Dinwiddie and (oddly) DeMar DeRozan enter the mix. DeRozan is not a true point guard, but the Bulls interest could be due to his career-high assist numbers (7.4) on an expiring contract. The point being, there has been a pretty large lack of news that ties the Bulls to find an answer at center, which I find at least somewhat interesting.
In fact, the only big man we recently heard the Bulls had interest in was Andre Drummond. The Cleveland Cavaliers center has sat out the last 16 games after the organization decided they would move on from him through either a trade or buyout. For what it’s worth, the latter seems like the most likely scenario. Most were surprised when Drummond’s name was connected to Chicago, mostly because he doesn’t feel like the kind of long-term, two-way player this organization is looking for. With that said, he could be a short-term rental that fills a need, and the Bulls do have Otto Porter’s expiring contract they could swap straight-up with the Cavs. I’m at least 90 percent sure that the Drummond thing isn’t happening, though. The guy is also in a contract season, and he likely isn’t going to willingly suit up for Chicago when he has interest from contenders.
So … is there anyone else we could see the Bulls connected to within the next 24 hours?
Well, I guess we have to at least think about the Indiana Pacers. We discussed them in our last two rumor round-up posts (here and here) because some recent reports have suggested that the organization could become sellers by tomorrow. Yahoo Sports Chris Haynes reported that the team is “listening to pitches” on point guard Malcolm Brogdon and that they are “monitoring” Domantas Sabonis. Center Myles Turner was not directly mentioned in that report, but we should keep in mind that the Pacers tried to shop him just this past offseason, so it doesn’t feel crazy to think he could be had at the right price. The IndyStar’s J. Michael does imply that the price would be quite high, though, writing that the Pacers would have to receive a “no-brainer” offer.
Another option for the Bulls could be to take on a big man in a potential Lonzo Ball trade. According to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, this actually could be the reason the Pelicans have become so willing as to move on from Ball sooner than later.
“But if you’re wondering why Lonzo Ball’s name is coming up in trade talks, it’s in part due to New Orleans’ desire to move off some of its expensive, longer deals. While Ball’s deal is expiring (at about $11 million), Eric Bledsoe and Steven Adams both have two full seasons left, for nearly $90 million. Ball could serve as a reward to a trade partner for taking on one of those contracts.”
At first, I was a bit skeptical of whether or not Steven Adams was eligible to be traded. He signed a multi-year extension with the organization this offseason, which normally comes with a moratorium period on a potential trade. However, I think Adams’ particular extension wasn’t enough to disqualify him from a trade. So assuming that is correct … Lauri Markkanen + Otto Porter for Lonzo Ball + Steven Adams, anyone? I know I wouldn’t hate it! Bulls solve two positions in one and the Pelicans open up some cap space. Hell, Adams also used to play for Donovan back in OKC.
I’d say that, ultimately, the most likely situation is that the Bulls just revisit this particular position in the offseason. They might still have faith in Carter becoming a reliable option or they could be interested in simply signing a more traditional big man for cheap (there are plenty of big guys you can sign at a reasonable price in the summer). Not to mention, the organization also has 2020 second-round pick Marko Simonovic waiting overseas, so they could even look to test him out after the season. I guess we’ll have a better idea of their urgency tomorrow, though. Can’t wait.
