Comings and goings: With one week until trade deadline, Bulls fall short against Miami

With less than a week until the NBA trade deadline arrives on Feb. 5, the Bulls should be shopping around.

But it seems possible trade talk has stalled as the league waits to see what happens with Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Bulls lost their third straight game Thursday at the United Center, dropping a 116-113 decision to the Miami Heat in a game rescheduled from earlier this month.

The trade showcase angle was a mixed bag. The Bulls players most likely to garner the trade interest are Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu. Dosunmu had a strong performance, leading all scorers with 23 points. Not so much for White, who missed a great look at a potential tying 3-pointer with two seconds left and shot 2-for-11 from the field overall. The Bulls trailed by 13 during the fourth quarter, but Dosunmu led a late comeback.

Josh Giddey sat out to rest a hamstring injury, while Jalen Smith was sidelined after 15 minutes with a calf issue.

White also took the decisive shot a night earlier in Indiana. Trailing by 1 in the waning seconds, his driving layup was blocked by the Pacers' Aaron Nesmith.

“It hurt my heart, man,” White said of the Miami miss. “It came off my hand, I thought it was good. It was on line, I got a clean look. Hit the back of the rim, just didn't fall. But I always say, you take it and learn from it. I've hit that shot before in those moments.

“I'm just blessed to be in that moment. You look back on my career, where I started and where I'm at. You just look forward to the opportunity to get that moment again.”

The Bulls could probably make a competitive offer for Antetokounmpo using a couple young players and at least three first-round draft picks. The problem is a revised Bulls roster wouldn't be in any better shape to contend for a title than the current Bucks.

Golden State has been rumored as the leader if it offers Jonathan Kuminga, injured Jimmy Butler and multiple first-rounders.

White and Dosunmu are on expiring contracts and will be free agents this summer. Same deal applies to center Nikola Vucevic, who appears to be in low demand.

The Bulls have six players on expiring deals and could package those contracts for an established star. The problem is availability. The Bulls don't need expensive, often-injured names like Ja Morant, Zion Williamson or Anthony Davis. Sacramento power forward Domantas Sabonis is likely attainable, but he turns 30 in May and wouldn't be a great age fit with Giddey and Matas Buzelis.

The Bulls need front-line help. There's been talk New Orleans might be willing to part with center Yves Missi now that Derik Queen has moved in. They could offer Portland's protected first-rounder for Atlanta's Onyeka Okongwu and see what happens.

If Minnesota wants White or Dosunmu to fill its need at point guard, negotiations should start and stop with rookie center Joan Beringer. Maybe the Bulls should install an old, heavy rotary phone at the Advocate Center. That way if the Timberwolves offer Mike Conley, Terrence Shannon and second-round picks, Arturas Karnisovas can angrily slam the receiver to end the call.

Remember, second-round picks are less valuable than they used to be since college players can stay in school and collect NIL.

Landing a young big would be a nice outcome for the Bulls next week. Otherwise, they might be better off doing nothing and revisiting a White sign-and-trade in the summer.

This was the rescheduled meeting with Miami from Jan. 8, when the game was canceled due to a slick floor. Temperatures were in the 50s that night and melting hockey ice caused condensation. Warm weather was not an issue Thursday.

This was the start of an unusual three-game miniseries with the Heat. These teams will meet twice more in Miami on Saturday and Sunday.

With this being the second leg of back-to-back games for the Bulls, Giddey sat out. That's basically out of precaution, since he's returning from a right hamstring strain. Donovan said before the game Giddey is feeling some tightness, and his status for the weekend games in Miami is unclear.