Who are the Chicago Bulls going to move before the trade deadline?

The frenzy that surrounded Nikola Mirotic yesterday makes it time to reevaluate what the Chicago Bulls will do with the trade deadline nearly a week away.

And we were told this was going to be a quiet NBA trade season.

The Los Angeles Clippers and Detroit Pistons agreed to a blockbuster deal on Monday. Clippers sent Blake Griffin, Willie Reed and Brice Johnson to the Pistons in exchange for Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, a first-round and a second-round draft pick.

This Woj bomb had NBA twitter scrambling to make sense of the deal that went down. It made made Griffin use a Will Smith Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reference to express his own feelings about the deal. The transaction reminded us how much fun this time of year can be.

Bulls decided to jump in on the fun with the trade flood gates opened by the Clippers and Pistons by nearly trading forward Nikola Mirotic to the Pelicans on Tuesday.

The trade deadline nearly being a week away makes it an appropriate time to reexamine previous rumors and re-calibrate trade expectations.

Robin Lopez

Robin Lopez’s name first appeared in trade rumors after the Bulls defeated the Celtics on Dec, 11, 2017. Chicago Tribune writer K.C. Johnson had this to say in a Dec. 11, 2017 Chicago Tribune article:

“According to one Eastern Conference executive and one Western Conference executive, the Bulls have made preliminary inquiries on Mirotic’s value, along with Robin Lopez’s. The Bulls, who are under the salary-cap floor, are seeking to add future assets in terms of draft picks without taking on long-term contracts.”

There has not been a lot of noise surrounding Lopez’s since the report. I would not interpret the lack trade speculation surrounding him as the Bulls losing interest in moving him now.

Lopez is a serviceable big man who can provide stability at the center position and is on a reasonable contract. As I’ve detailed before, he can do the dirty work for a team looking to contend in the playoffs, such as the Cavaliers or the Bucks.

The Bulls have been using Lopez less recently. His minutes have decreased by five minutes per game since this report.

The Bulls have been experimenting more with front court lineup combinations that include Lauri Markkanen, Bobby Portis or Mirotic. They’ve even played Cristiano Felicio more after giving him a 4 year/$32 million contract over the summer.

It’s unlikely Lopez will be the first player moved by the Bulls. Expect the franchise to move Lopez if they make another deal that lands them a big man.

Jerian Grant

Johnson had this to say regarding guard Jerian Grant in a Jan. 16 Chicago Tribune article:

“According to one executive in each conference, the Bulls have gauged interest on Jerian Grant. Grant, acquired from the Knicks in the Derrick Rose trade, leads the Bulls in assist-to-turnover ratio but has shot just 29.9 percent from 3-point range. The organization likely wants to get a post-All-Star-break look at Cameron Payne, whose option was picked up for next season. And with LaVine also able to play backup point guard, Grant could be expendable.”

Being reminded that Payne is on the roster is hilarious for all the wrong reasons. It’s almost as funny as the organization making a player available to accommodate for the playing time he’s expected to receive once he returns to the hardwood.

Nonetheless, the Bulls did use a significant trade package to acquire Payne. It makes sense they’d want to see what they got out of the deal. Payne’s only played in 11 regular season games since being acquired by the Bulls last February.

Grant’s lacks composure with the ball in his hands when defenses rev up the pressure. This makes him too inconsistent to be a dependable backup point guard for a playoff contender. He’s best suited to be the third guard on a roster and can use his quickness, playmaking ability and size to take advantage of opposing team’s reserves.

Teams aren’t willing to relinquish a lot in a trade for a player who will be at the end of their rotation.

Bulls will need to package Grant with Lopez, a player like Justin Holiday who can also add depth to a playoff contender.

Nikola Mirotic

Mirotic’s days in Chicago have been numbered since he was knocked out by Portis in a scuffle during practice back in Oct. 2017. He expressed his desire to be traded in the aftermath of the incident and has been consistent with that request.

A trade sending Mirotic to the Pelicans was, reportedly, on the one-yard line. But, concerns surrounding Mirotic’s player option and the Pelicans’ future cap space arose and prevented the deal from being made.

It sounds like the deal is still possible. The question is whether Mirotic is willing to waive his no-trade clause. There’s uncertainty that his team option for the 2018-19 season would picked up if he was traded to the Pelicans.

Johnson had this to add in a Jan. 30 Chicago Tribune article:

“The Bulls and Jazz also remain in talks, sources said, and Mirotic is intrigued by the idea of playing for coach Quin Snyder.”

The Bulls are, reportedly, enamored with Jazz guard Rodney Hood. But, the Jazz aren’t looking to deal him. A transaction between the two teams was rumored earlier in the year. However, it was forward/center Derrick Favors that was going to be included in the trade.

Next: Bulls are in Portland to face the Trail Blazers

The Pistons were another team that had interest in Mirotic. They made the previously mentioned trade to acquire Griffin and will mostly likely look to bolster other areas of their roster.

I believe a Bulls and Pelicans deal will be finalized in the next few days. Teams and individuals get desperate as the trade deadline looms over the head and they soften their stances on “deal-breakers”. I expect for one side to give in and the Bulls to make more moves afterwards.