The Chicago Bulls, along with perhaps the Sacramento Kings, are the teams most likely to be active in the trade market before the NBA deadline. The teams have already made one trade, linking up with the Cleveland Cavaliers in a deal that sent De’Andre Hunter to the Kings for Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis late last night. Both teams have several other trade candidates who have garnered interest.
Bulls Definitely Want To Make Deals, Whether Adding Or Subtracting, What Do They Need, & 2 Players Garnering Most Attention
Chicago is the main team to watch here. The Bulls are once again in puragotart as they hover around the .500 mark at 24-26. The Bulls, who have not made the playoffs in three seasons, sit ninth in the Eastern Conference. They are 5-5 in their last 10 and are two games clear of Charlotte.
“The feeling around the Bulls is that [president of Basketball operations Arturas] Karnisovas is not done dealing this season and that those picks might come in handy,” Joe Crowley of The Chicago Sun-Times said. “The Sun-Times reported in December that Karnisovas was one of the more active executives out there in terms of trade talks, a far cry from his first several years in the job. A source Sunday confirmed he hasn’t slowed down, either.”
Chicago ranks at the bottom of the league in both offensive and defensive ratings, despite being 10th in scoring at 117.2 points. The Bulls are shooting well, but they don’t get to the free-throw line often and aren’t great on the offensive boards. Conversely, the Bulls have numerous defensive issues.
“We have to keep building out with younger people,” coach Billy Donovan told Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. “I don’t think there’s any question about that from a roster standpoint. … If you’re talking about the guys that are here that are going to be under contract, they’re going to need more. So however those conversations take place, whether it’s in July or whether it’s in July or whether it’s at the trade deadline, I think the front office is looking to try to build it out as best they can.”
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