Lillard Denies Reports, Lonzo Ball’s Value, LaVine Needs a Win Streak, and Other Bulls Bullets

For about three hours on Friday, Damian Lillard felt like he was on his way out of Portland. Some reports surfaced that the six-time All-Star planned to request a trade, others already began to list his preferred landing spots. Then, Lillard set the record straight … or … at least he tried to.

While he denied reports of a trade request during an interview with media members after a Team USA practice in Las Vegas, I don’t think anyone walked away thinking it could not happen in the near future. Lillard admitted he saw some positives for the Trail Blazers, but he also continued to call them out for an organizational plateau:

“We reached that point where it’s not enough,” Lillard told USA Today. “Do we actually want to win it all? Is that what we’re shooting for, and we got to do things to show that. We have to put action behind that desire to win at that level.”

•   Quotes like that should not make GM Neil Olshey or owner Jody Allen feel any more secure about their future with Lillard. I mean, this sounds like the talk one person in the relationship has to the other before ultimately breaking their heart a few weeks later. “Do we actually want to get married? Is that what we’re shooting for, and we got to do things to show that. We have to put actions behind that desire to be in a relationship at that level.”

•   Anyway, Mark Medina has all the most important nuggets from that Lillard conversation below:

•   Whoa, crazy! League sources told me the same thing!

•   While I’m sure Arturas Karnisovas is on his 15th Red Bull while he watches film on every second-round prospect imaginable, the Chicago Bulls also have to keep free agency at the top of mind. Four days after the draft on July 29th, the free agency flood gates open, and the Bulls must be prepared. Not only do they have to decide how to proceed with Zach LaVine’s contract situation, but they also have to track down their next starting point guard. Lonzo Ball has been the most popular name tied to Chicago since the trade deadline, and he is expected to be a hot commodity in a rather lackluster free-agent market this offseason. We learned earlier this week via The Athletic the Pelicans are unlikely to match a significant offer sheet for the restricted free agent, but how significant is significant?

•   The Athletic’s John Hollinger used his BORD$ projection to estimate how much each free agent should get paid this offseason. Ball finishes with the 7th-highest salary, which Hollinger places at roughly $22.5 million per year. As a ceiling, Hollinger said he could see Ball getting a four-year $100 million deal from a desperate team. Considering my personal ceiling would be Hollinger’s original projection, I do feel a bit uneasy about how this all might play out. While I want the Bulls to grab Ball, the last thing I want them to do is vastly overpay. This team still has many roster holes to fill, and a big contract to hand LaVine. Making sure some financial flexibility still exists is key.

•   Another name to look out for this summer: Devonte’ Graham. I plan to write more about him next week, but he is another restricted free agent I have to imagine the Bulls have on their list. Hollinger projects his value to be roughly $19 million. I don’t see him getting that big of a contract, but we’ll see.

•   LaVine wants to stay in Chicago. The guy has made that more than clear. At the same time, Bulls fans can not feel completely safe until a new contract is signed, and stats like the one below is exactly why.

•   GET THAT GOLD BOYS!

https://twitter.com/usabasketball/status/1416182106439495685?s=20

•   You can go chill with Mike again. Maybe go hate-watch the new Space Jam with him.

•   We already knew this was coming, but it’s finally being put in the fine print.

•   I’m interested to see what the Bulls decide to do with their two-way spots this season. I expect Devon Dotson to return (and play in Summer League), but I would not be surprised if Arturas Karnisovas signs a different undrafted free agent in Adam Mokoka’s place.

written by

Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.

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