With the Dec. 15 deadline gone and passed, many teams across the NBA are now eligible to deal away contracts that were signed during the course of last summer’s free agency period. There are now some potential Bulls rumors to watch moving forward.
Naturally, this means contending teams will be looking to make moves in hopes of improving their odds at a playoff run, and the Bulls are no exception here.
While they may currently be recovering from a recent COVID-19 outbreak, the Bulls have proven to be a team rich in terms of bench depth and talent. Alex Caruso, Javonte Green, Ayo Dosunmu, and Derrick Jones Jr. have all stepped up in a big way, allowing Chicago to play a fast-paced game and get out in transition while stifling opposing offenses with their stout perimeter defense.
This quartet may be performing better than expected, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still room for improvement. Matt Moore of The Action Network first reported that the Bulls are looking to be buyers at the trade deadline, so we can expect Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley to continue looking for moves to improve the roster.
According to @HPbasketball, the Chicago Bulls are planning to be buyers at the trade deadline and are looking to trade for a wing defender to bring off the bench.
— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) December 16, 2021
This report does seem odd, however, as perimeter defense appears to be one of the strongest assets of the reserve unit. As it currently stands, Coby White is the only established offensive threat off the bench, though Dosunmu and Jones Jr. have been dependable in spurts.
Chicago has its name attached to several high-profile players on the trade block, but not all of these stars are as realistic as others among Bulls rumors
“The loss of Patrick Williams has been real,” says Moore, “And Chicago has been looking for a wing defender.” This only seems logical, as Williams’ injury has left the power forward slot as the weakest point in Chicago’s starting lineup.
Acquiring a player that could possibly slow down the elite forwards in the Eastern Conference — such as Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant, and Miami’s Jimmy Butler — should certainly be a top priority for the Bulls.
This has led many Bulls fans to advocate for another trade to solidify the starting lineup. With so many interesting targets currently on the trade block, they provide a temptation hard to resist. For these reasons, it’s worth diving in and discussing the feasibility of each of these potential trade scenarios.