NEWSLETTER
Go buy some cans of soup. Get out the extra blankets. Check the batteries in the flashlight. The blizzard is coming, folks.
No, I’m not referring to the treacherous weather that is supposed to hit the Chicagoland area later this week (stay safe!). I’m rather talking about the blizzard of Chicago Bulls trade rumors that could pile up on our doorstep in the coming weeks.
As a team that reached another new low by giving up 150 points in regulation to a KAT and Gobert-less Timberwolves team, the Bulls could be on the brink of some serious change. The team is 11-18 on the season and currently outside the Play-In Tournament picture as the East’s 11th-place unit. While there may be a lot of seasons left to go, it’s becoming abundantly clear that the organization’s pre-existing roster isn’t on a competitive track.
And we already know rival teams around the league are praying for the front office to enter full-blown tank mode.
I don’t know if doing a complete sell-off is the route this front office will take, but I do expect something to be done as the February trade deadline nears. ESPN’s Brain Windhorst is starting to anticipate the same, and he implied on the latest episode of The Hoops Collective Podcast that some rumors could be just around the corner.
“It’s going to be something that is going to be discussed more and more [the Bulls’ downfall]. I think you’re going to start, you’re going to see some Bulls stuff coming here,” Windhorst said. “They could wait a little bit longer, but they also could take advantage of the fact that there are no sellers right now. And, if they were to sell, that they may be able to do well on the market. I think we may be seeing that discussed a lot more coming up.”
Windhorst may not be directly reporting anything groundbreaking here, but we all know he’s as tapped into the NBA scene as anyone. The fact he foresees conversations picking up around the league is undoubtedly noteworthy, as is what he says about the timing in which the Bulls might want to act.
If Chicago does want to press the reset or retool button, doing that sooner than later could very well help them get the most bang for their buck. We all know many teams are waiting for this organization to open for business, and being the only one with something to sell is a very advantageous position to be in.
Now, do I actually see the Bulls throwing in the towel this soon? Not particularly. We have yet to even hear where this front office’s head is at (which is extremely annoying, by the way). But you also don’t have to throw in the towel completely to reap the benefits of a quiet market.
For example, what if you just start by taking calls on Nikola Vučević? We’ve already discussed his contract situation, and the Bulls need to at least consider moving him if there are no plans to hand him an extension. Sniffing around what teams might be willing to give up for DeMar DeRozan also can’t hurt, right?
All I’m saying is the Bulls don’t have to do anything right now, but the front office wouldn’t be doing their job if they weren’t trying to make the most of this situation. You just never know what opportunities can present themselves, and the Bulls aren’t in a strong enough position not to start evaluating their options.
