Draft regrets, trade talk? Plenty on Bulls’ plate these days
The Bulls finally got some players back from injury and snapped their seven-game losing streak Friday in Charlotte.
Now they can balance their attention between regrets and a new direction.
The regrets are centered on New Orleans center Derik Queen, who visits the United Center with the Pelicans on Sunday. Queen was chosen with the No. 13 pick of last year's draft, just after the Bulls took French forward Noa Essengue.
Since Essengue is out for the year with a shoulder injury — anyone would qualify as a better pick, as long as you keep the scope extremely narrow.
Let's think back to one of Jerry Krause's favorite quotes — “You can't judge a draft for at least five years.” And I heard him say that long before Jamal Crawford (his pick) turned into the best player of the 2000 draft, by a wide margin.
Over the past month or so, Queen has averaged 16.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.6 assists. Angel Reese, whose brother was a Maryland teammate, might have had the best scouting report on Queen by comparing him to Nikola Jokic. Much smaller scale, obviously, but he's a guy who can do a little bit of everything from the center spot.
At this point, one could also suggest Charlotte center Ryan Kalkbrenner or North Shore native Danny Wolf from Brooklyn would have been better picks for the Bulls, since those guys are the biggest draft-night steals at the moment. Everyone looks better than the guy recovering from shoulder surgery.
But it's easy to see what the Bulls were thinking in the 2025 draft. They need a defensive presence on the front line and Essengue has that potential. He's long and has ridiculous speed for his size.
At the same time, the Bulls will need a replacement for center Nikola Vucevic, so maybe Queen did make more sense. You win with good players.
Like Krause always said, we don't know how this will turn out. If it's any consolation, Essengue played well for the Windy City Bulls before getting injured.
Trade talk
The Feb. 5 trade deadline will be here soon enough, which is why Coby White is popping up in rumors.
White will be a free agent after the season, and it's the biggest decision Bulls management faces right now. They could trade White while they can get something for him. Or they take a chance that he'll re-sign and be part of a future nucleus with Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis.
Both options make sense. White should be heading into his peak years, so why not keep a player you already developed? Then again, if the Bulls want to make changes, they'll have to give up something of value.
A trade rumor focused on Minnesota's Donte DiVincenzo was laughable. Why trade White for an older, less talented shooting guard who has already been passed around to five teams. That's an easy no.
The Bulls have an obvious need for more size. They could think about Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis, said to be available. He's got a big contract, so it would take Vucevic, White and another player to get it done.
Sabonis, 29, has been a great stat-stuffer but hasn't won a playoff series, which is a significant red flag. Adding a power forward would allow the Bulls to move Buzelis to small forward where he belongs, while maybe Jalen Smith and Zach Collins stick around to play center.
Golden State's Jonathan Kuminga would be a good target. Or the Bulls could see if New Orleans wants to move some expensive contracts, like Trey Murphy and Herbert Jones. All three of these players are more small forward types but are probably better equipped to guard the four spot than Buzelis right now.
Cup creation
How much longer will the NBA continue with the ridiculous Emirates Cup? Maybe the television ratings will tell a different story, but this event adds nothing to the season.
The one good part for the Bulls is they've gone 5-0 in their NBA Cup “consolation games,” although those have drawn some of the smallest crowds, due to the late notice.
The Bulls already have the only cup they need — Cuppy Coffee and the Dunkin' Donuts race is popular as ever at the United Center.