Despite the presence of Coby White (and Tomas Satoransky), the Chicago Bulls are largely expected to seek outside help at the lead guard position this offseason. Of course, that help could come from the draft, where they own the No. 4 overall pick, or even free agency, though that would be difficult with their limited cap space. But there’s always the third option – a trade – which becomes permissible at 11:00 a.m. CT … today!
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has the latest (emphasis mine)
Although active in potential trade discussions for a veteran guard, the Bulls already have several interesting, young pieces the new front office probably will want to learn more about firsthand.
According to this rumor, the Bulls are active in potential trade discussions for a veteran guard right now (technically, Givony doesn’t say “point guard,” but I think we can safely assume that’s what he meant).
If the Bulls were serious about targeting a veteran guard via trade, that could tell us something about their draft intentions. A popular train of thought has been that the Bulls would try to grab a young point guard on November 18th, with some believing they may even try to go out of their way to grab the top-ranked LaMelo Ball. But now I have to wonder if all that chatter has been a smokescreen. Interest in a veteran guard could signify that Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley are not in love with the option in this draft class.
I also can’t help but wonder if targeting a veteran guard would also make this front office feel more comfortable giving Coby White his fair shake at point guard. But that’s a bit complicated.
White may have been pegged as the “point guard of the future” one draft ago, but that was under an entirely new front office and coaching/development staff. And although White’s rookie campaign was impressive, his performance didn’t necessarily fall in line with that of a true facilitator. He posted some massive scoring performances along the way, but he failed to flash much promise as a floor general (which is not to say he couldn’t improve). That said, rumors have swirled that this new front office may view White as more of a combo guard who should clock more minutes at the two anyway.
Some would disagree with that *he types while sipping coffee out of a Coby White mug in his Coby White pajamas*, but I digress.
The point is that with White’s facilitating chops still a question mark, and Tomas Satoransky not proving all that helpful, the Bulls could use a more savvy, pass-happy guard in their rotation. For what it’s worth, this front office is reportedly high on White, but that was never going to stop them from adding another guard.
And to circle back to the draft, there’s no doubt that the organization will feel obligated to get their No. 4 pick some serious minutes from the start this season, and if that pick happens to play in the same position as White, this process could be muddied-up even more.
We also can’t forget that it’s always helpful to have a veteran presence on such a young roster. The Bulls do have Satoransky, Otto Porter, and Thaddeus Young under contract, but it’s hard to say (1) how long those players will say on board and (2) how much of an impact they’ve made behind the scenes.
Anyway, trade or not, we should learn quite a bit about which direction this front office wants to go over the next week. Stay tuned.
