Three Young Players the Chicago Bulls Should Inquire on the Availability of ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline
As we approach the NBA trade deadline, rumors will continue to fly around the league on a daily basis. The Chicago Bulls have spent their fair share of time in those rumors, oftentimes with the assumption that they’d covet draft picks in return above all else.
While that may be the case, and realistically should be the goal, it isn’t the only option to move along in the rebuilding process. Arturas Karnisovas must work the phone lines day in and day out leading up to the official deadline in order to ensure the Bulls capitalize on the best values they can get.
Another thing Karnisovas and his staff must do is think outside the box. Scan the league and teams’ rotations, focus on players that are young but need a change of scenery, and see where teams stand on these types of players.
Not all of the listed players have been involved in rumors as of today, and finding a deal for those players may prove to be impossible in the end. The Bulls need to add talent to their roster, though, so inquiring about these underperforming young players would be a smart move.
There’s no downside, and maybe Karnisovas finds a swap of players that works for both him and the other team involved. No risk, potentially high reward inquiries that could help the Bulls get back to true relevance.
Defensive upside and bigs are preferred to join the young group they have in place, but any deal involving these targets would likely need to see the Bulls move one of their young players anyway. Who that would or could be is tough to gauge right now, as the Bulls roster has very little of the current front office’s imprint on it.
Regardless, these are three buy-low candidates the Bulls front office should at least reach out about.
No. 3: Chicago Bulls Should Reach out to the Minnesota Timberwolves about Second Year Guard/Forward Jarrett Culver
First up and by far the hardest player to get back in a trade on this list is Jarrett Culver of the Timberwolves. He was selected sixth overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, one spot ahead of where the Bulls took Coby White that year.
Culver seems pretty unlikely to be moved, but why wouldn’t the Bulls at least reach out and see if there’s any conversation to be had? The Timberwolves are hard to predict and currently are among the worst teams in the NBA. It’s hard to see them digging out of that hole anytime soon, which is something they’d be wise to avoid anyway. They owe their first-round pick in the upcoming draft to the Golden State Warriors if it lands anywhere outside the top three.
Culver is averaging just 19.8 minutes per game this year and doesn’t have a simple path to more minutes anytime soon. Malik Beasley, D’Angelo Russell and rookie Anthony Edwards are all going to make Culver’s life difficult in terms of getting on the court.
It doesn’t seem too outlandish to think the Timberwolves might like a piece or two the Bulls have and be able to negotiate some sort of a move. Unlikely? Absolutely. Possible? It could be.