Trade talk might be quiet for Bulls but the defense finally made noise

Trade talk might be quiet for Bulls but the defense finally made noise.

After giving up 50 points in an embarrassing fourth quarter Thursday against the Hawks, the Bulls answered with a solid performance in a victory over the Bucks. But from his talks with the front office, coach Billy Donovan said trade talk is still on mute.

There’s still time for Chicago’s outlook to change between now and the February 9 deadline, but based on what we’ve heard from the reporters who cover the team, it doesn’t sound as if the 19-24 Bulls are as eager to sell as those outside the organization want them to be.

 

K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago stated earlier this week that he thinks the Bulls are actually more likely to be buyers than sellers. If that’s the case, it would mean players like Vucevic, Caruso, LaVine, and DeRozan almost certainly going anywhere.

 

Still, given that their record is just 19-24 and they’ve already traded away multiple future first-round picks, the Bulls seem unlikely to make a huge splash on the trade market as a buyer either. Johnson suggested that if they do seek a rotation upgrade, a deal might involve Coby White and the 2023 lottery-protected pick Portland owes to Chicago. That sort of package probably wouldn’t bring back an impact player or change the makeup of the roster too significantly.

Of course, it’s also possible that the Bulls simply decide to stand pat and hope that point guard Lonzo Ball is able to return to action at some point in the second half, boosting the team’s play-in and playoff chances. In that scenario, the front office could reassess the roster in the offseason as Vucevic becomes a free agent and DeRozan enters a contract year, deciding on a direction at that point.

 

Again, things could change between now and February 9. The Bulls are currently on a three-game losing streak that includes defeats to two current lottery teams (Washington and Oklahoma City) — if that slide continues, perhaps president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas will become more willing to sell. But as long as the club remains firmly in the play-in picture, it sounds like that’s not Plan A.