NEWSLETTER
Uh, ok. ESPN’s Marc J. Spears made a comment we can’t ignore.
On Friday’s episode of NBA Today, Spears shared what he’s heard from six unnamed NBA GMs about Kyrie Irving and his recent trade request. During the conversation, he mentioned several teams that were brought up as potential suitors … and, yup, the Chicago Bulls made the list.
Here’s the full quote for context:
???I???ve been speaking to six different General Managers today and four of them said Kyrie has little value, that they thought maybe they could get some expiring contracts or some role players for him. Of the teams that they mentioned that could have interest, there was Dallas, Lakers, Miami, and even the Chicago Bulls.???
Nope … don’t like that.
First of all, I think it’s important that we point out the use of “could have interest.” To me, this implies that the six GMs were more likely asked to speculate. In other words (thankfully), I believe this holds less weight than if the report had suggested “the Bulls have expressed interest.”
And, indeed, connecting the Bulls (theoretically) isn’t all that difficult. Put simply, Chicago has the kind of talent Brooklyn would likely want in return. For example, either Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan could help Kevin Durant and the Nets continue their competitive play this season. A LaVine for Irving swap could work straight-up, while the Bulls could pair someone like Coby White with DeRozan to easily make it work.
Likewise, we all know the Bulls are in a weird place. They reportedly want to continue pushing for the playoffs, so perhaps GMs have heard they’re willing to do something drastic to make that happen. And, for what it’s worth, we did just hear Shams Charania say the Bulls have been looking to add to the point guard position.
With all that said, I can’t believe for a second that Charania meant Irving is the kind of guard the Bulls plan to target. I also can’t believe the Bulls would be willing to part ways with either LaVine or even DeRozan in a deal for Irving. As Spears said, four of those GMs said that Irving has little value around the league.
Let’s also not forget that Irving is up for a fresh contract this summer. Whichever team acquires him would have to pay him the big bucks, and we’ve seen what he’s willing to do if you don’t reach his price. Are the Bulls ready to do whatever it takes to make that happen? I HIGHLY doubt it.
Irving has been one of the most unpredictable and unreliable players in the NBA. Investing max money into him could prove to be a colossal mistake. Not to mention, Irving just doesn’t seem to fall in line with anything this new regime appears to value. They’re attempting to establish continuity and a no-nonsense winning culture … how has Irving proven he can fit into that mentality?
Overall, this report just boggles my mind. I can’t really see any situation where going after Irving makes sense for the Bulls right now. And I truly believe that they were mentioned mainly because of the win-now pieces they have to trade on their roster.
We’ll keep an eye on whether or not they come up again over the next week, but I wouldn’t expect it.
Watch Spears’ full interview here:
