The Chicago Bulls have roughly three weeks to make up their mind. According to long-time insider K.C. Johnson, though, they may not need it.
In a video mailbag for the Chicago Sports Network, Johnson answered a question about the organization’s plans for Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. Despite the team sitting at 18-22 and in the thick of the Play-In Tournament race, he shared that taking a step backward by Feb. 6 remains the front office’s priority.
“Everything I’m hearing around the league remains that the Bulls are going to be sellers at the deadline,” Johnson said. “Here is one thing I know for sure, this franchise is tired of being stuck in the middle. And that’s exactly where they are at this point in the season … They understand how deep this first-round pick is in 2025, they’d like to keep it. Thus, you keep hearing names like Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic available.”
You can watch Johnson’s full Chicago Bulls mailbag on the Chicago Sports Network YouTube here.
Now, did Johnson preface this statement by stressing that everything remains fluid? Yes, and rightfully so. But this is the exact kind of reporting many Bulls fans should want to hear with the deadline inching closer. The last thing this organization needs is a third-straight Play-In game, particularly if it comes at the expense of a lottery pick. The Bulls’ 2025 first-round pick will land in the lap of the San Antonio Spurs if it does not fall within the Top 10.
Will the Chicago Bulls Be Sellers?
While Johnson’s comments ease my nerves a little, I’ll believe the Chicago Bulls pull this off when I see it. The truth of the matter is that it takes two to tango, and Chicago hasn’t done a particularly good job of drumming up interest.
Denver has been the only franchise strongly connected to Zach LaVine this season and those rumors have gone quiet in recent weeks. Nikola Vucevic has been name-dropped a couple of times, particularly in connection to the Golden State Warriors. However, it’s unclear if the Bulls and Warriors have discussed any sort of deal in earnest.
Look, it’s not entirely the Bulls’ fault if the phones aren’t ringing off the hook. LaVine and Vucevic are doing everything they can to increase their value by putting together tremendous seasons. If teams aren’t interested, they aren’t interested.
At the same time, there is no denying the Bulls’ front office has played a role in creating such a frustrating situation. They have lost a lot of leverage over the last year-plus, as everyone and their mother has known that LaVine and Vucevic were on the market. Reports have also repeatedly surfaced that they overvalue their assets, and we heard they were asking for too much as recently as last month.
Can they try to play some kind of hardball ahead of the trade deadline? Sure, especially with LaVine and Vucevic playing so well. But we don’t have much evidence that they know when to stop and accept defeat. Let’s not forget that Chicago hasn’t made a move at the deadline in three straight seasons. The product on the floor has produced the same results year after year. They have continually demonstrated immense stubbornness and an unwillingness to deviate from the status quo.
Indeed, this is how you alienate yourself in the NBA. The more you refuse to do business, the less teams will be willing to negotiate. Sam Amick of The Athletic even suggested in a recent article that teams have grown frustrated with the Bulls after years of inactivity.
“Beyond this years-long discussion about Chicago and its self-induced mediocrity, with this front office that’s headed by Artūras Karnišovas the only one in the league that hasn’t made a trade at the deadline for the past three years, the continued inaction is causing angst among teams that have some level of interest in their players,” Amick wrote.
I have to imagine many front offices around the league have become hesitant to even pick up the phone and give the Chicago Bulls a call. This likely wouldn’t be the case if they had the Belle of the ball, but LaVine and Vucevic aren’t perfect players on perfect contracts. If Karnisovas wants to be the seller that Johnson says he hopes to be, he has to meet teams more than halfway.
What proof do we have that he will do that?