While the Chicago Bulls aren’t participating in the bubble, they haven’t completely flown under the radar, being liked to several prospects in recent weeks.
The last time we saw the Chicago Bulls in action they were beating the Cleveland Cavaliers (108-103) at the Madhouse on Madison. That was four months ago. All that’s happened since then is *deep breath* a global pandemic, civil unrest, murder hornets, a national coin shortage, Elon Musk launched a rocket into space, the CIA acknowledging UFOs, zombie cicadas, and the NBA restarted in a bubble down in Orlando. You know, the usual stuff.
The Bulls didn’t make the cut for Orlando, and hopes of a second bubble or regional scrimmages are also fading fast. They’ve stayed in the news by making a slew of changes, practically cleaning house in the front office, save for that one corner where Jim Boylen is.
They have also found their way into draft discussions (the Bulls are currently projected for the seventh-overall pick) and trade rumors. This has shined a light on several draft prospects that can help the Bulls in different ways. One common characteristic has become apparent, though. New basketball czar, Arturas Karnisovas will do his due diligence on the intriguing crop of international players.
Daniel Greenberg has been tweeting that Chicago was scouting players across the pond. He has also spoken to the agent of another player, who says the Bulls have been in touch with that camp as well.
A player the Chicago Bulls have shown a lot of interest in is Deni Avdija, per source. Been told that Arturas Karnisovas saw Deni play in Spain and Marc Eversley saw him play in Israel.
— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) July 28, 2020
Bulls have also scouted Killian Hayes and Leandro Bolmaro, per source.
Trade winds often swirl around teams at the bottom. Additionally, uncertainty at head coach and how that could impact the roster has led to names like Zach LaVine being mentioned in New York while Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times says teams are interested in Lauri Markkanen, and Wendell Carter.
Any of those moves coming to fruition would lead to an already intriguing incoming prospect becoming even more viable as an option.
Of course, much of this could be attributed to speculation running rampant due to a lack of much else going on. The bubble has meant there’s basketball on a daily basis, but for those not there, this is a fairly natural discussion that happens during the offseason.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t any merit to it. Especially when you consider what each of the following prospects brings to the table. Let’s get into exactly what that is for each guy, but also what it would take for each of them to be wearing a Bulls uniform next season.
Up first is a player who isn’t even expected to be a first-rounder but is coming up often in the early-to-mid second round.