Counting down: With NBA trade deadline drawing near, is there a move that makes sense for Bulls?
Bulls fans were met with some déjà vu this week when ESPN's Shams Charania reported Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox and agent Rich Paul are seeking a new home before the NBA trade deadline arrive.
Charania worked for a different outlet last season when he reported Paul and the Bulls were working to find a trade for Zach LaVine.
A LaVine trade never happened, of course. The Bulls' leading scorer has gotten back on track this season, so will they try to make a move with LaVine before the deadline hits next Thursday? Will they make a different trade?
There are no obvious answers, so let's examine the possibilities as the deadline draws closer.
Butler service
Trade season began with a familiar name, former Bulls first-round pick Jimmy Butler, asking out of Miami. Butler has been suspended a few times while waiting for something to happen.
Logic suggests Butler's petulance would harm his trade value, but that's not how the NBA works. Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Butler himself have forced trades in the past. They get away with it because they have a history of leading playoff runs. Butler has carried the Heat to the NBA Finals twice.
The biggest hang-up is Butler's hefty salary of $48.8 million, with an option for $52.4 million next year. Phoenix has been mentioned as his preferred destination, which would require Bradley Beal in the outbound lane.
The problem here is Beal has both a no-trade clause and one of the worst contracts in the league, owed $110 million over the next two seasons. Miami doesn't want it, no team does.
So the Suns have been searching for a third team to take on Beal, not surprisingly with no luck. There was a report Beal refused to waive his no-trade clause to go to the Bulls, but it's hard to imagine what sort of assets the Bulls could get to make them take on Beal, even if he did play for Billy Donovan in college.
If trading Beal's contract is a lost cause, teams are likely asking about LaVine, who makes $43 million, a little closer to Butler's neighborhood.
For the Bulls to trade LaVine, they'd need draft picks and expiring contracts in return. A suggested trade to Denver for Michael Porter Jr. would have provided neither. Best advice for the Bulls is the basic, “If it makes sense, do it.”
Center of attention
There's been talk of interest in center Nikola Vucevic, and the Bulls should be all ears. At 34, Vucevic doesn't fit with the Bulls' youth movement and might as well go play for a contending team.
That interest may not be very widespread, however. NBA teams generally like two traits from their big men — shooting from distance, where Vucevic has excelled this season; and rim protection, which is pretty much nonexistent.
The Lakers and Golden State have been mentioned as teams seeking a center. The Lakers don't have the expiring contracts to give back in a trade, which likely eliminates them.
The Warriors can give all expiring contracts in return. If they throw in a first-round pick, that's a no-brainer for the Bulls. If Golden State insists on second-round picks only, basketball operations boss Arturas Karinsovas should probably just sit tight and hope the Warriors cave at the last minute.
League of possibilities
The Bulls have Lonzo Ball's $20 million expiring contract to work with. There will be some interest, but it's hard to imagine another team offering much in return, given Ball's injury history. He's been playing well lately, which probably has the Bulls thinking about extending the comeback to next season if he wants to stay.
Why shouldn't the Bulls make an offer for Fox? He's got one year left before he hits free agency and reports say San Antonio is his preferred destination. But an offer of, say, Coby White and Ball could be tempting for Sacramento. In theory, that would give the Bulls a nucleus of Fox, LaVine and Josh Giddey, with the potential of Matas Buzelis providing upside. Then again, Fox's next contract will be huge and he hasn't brought any playoff success to the Kings.
Milwaukee was mentioned as a team with interest in LaVine, but it's hard to find any benefit for the Bulls in an offer of, say, Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis. Both players have options for 2025-26 and Middleton is already 33.
The Bulls might want to consider some sort of consolidation trade. Pick either Dalen Terry or Julian Phillips, give one steady minutes and move the other. Or with so many guards on the roster, maybe the Bulls' best return would be for White or Ayo Dosunmu.
They should be on the lookout for an athletic center who might fit their style. Jumping into a multi-team Butler trade would make sense if the Bulls could find a way to land rookie Kel'el Ware from Miami.