Any team with a building young core like that of the Chicago Bulls is likely to have a group of players around the trade deadline each passing year that are considered untouchable. And this year looks to be no exception as the Bulls new front office regime prepares for the looming March 25 trade deadline late next week.
First-year executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley didn’t make many moves last offseason to adjust this roster, and it panned out so far. The Bulls currently sit with a record of 18-20, as one of the more improved teams in the Eastern Conference up to this point.
So with that in mind, what would be the best path to take for the Bulls front office ahead of the trade deadline?
Usually a good way to start is identifying which pieces of the roster should be the hardest to pry away. And it looks like there’s a foundational idea in mind as to who the Bulls will keep around beyond this trade deadline no matter what.
The untouchables players at the trade deadline for the Chicago Bulls
According to a report from ESPN’s Tim Bontemps on March 16, the Bulls are looking to make star shooting guard Zach LaVine and rookie forward Patrick Williams essentially their untouchable players at the deadline. And outside of Williams and LaVine, it sounds like this front office looks like “they’re open” for business come March 25.
LaVine played a huge role in the Bulls success so far this season. He’s elevated his game to a new level thus far, hence why he got his first career All-Star nod this year. LaVine had another offensive outburst on March 16, when the Bulls beat the Oklahoma City Thunder at home by more than a 20 point margin driven by LaVine’s game-high 40 points.
Williams is also playing better of late for the Bulls, which is a good sign down the stretch for his rookie campaign. He remained in the starting five for first-year head coach Billy Donovan even after he made the rotation changes last weekend, slotting more veterans in the mix.
However, outside of Williams and LaVine, it appears that all other options remain on the table for Karnisovas and the Bulls ahead of the March 25 deadline. That could be good news given that the front office should be playing nearly every card they can to try and improve this core from here on out.
Donovan and the Bulls have now won two games in a row following their big win over the Thunder on March 16. Next up for the Bulls is a meeting at home at the United Center with head coach Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs on March 17.