As we approach the trade deadline this season, there will continue to be more and more Bulls rumors that pop up as this team looks to elevate its contender status down the stretch. And it sounds like there is one interesting rumor that could uncover some of the ambitions of the Bulls’ front office less than one month ahead of the trade deadline.
According to a report from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype on Jan. 12, rival executives are saying that the Bulls are making third-year point guard Coby White available in trade talks, while second-year forward Patrick Williams is “off-limits”.
This is something to be expected that executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley don’t want to easily part ways with Williams this season. That is especially true since his trade value might not be that high given the fact that he’s likely out for the rest of the regular season thanks to a wrist injury he suffered a few months back.
To add to that, the Bulls haven’t even come close to seeing Williams reach his true two-way potential yet.
Bulls rumors indicating that Coby White could be available at the trade deadline and that Patrick Williams won’t be shopped
The only way I could realistically see the Bulls giving up on Williams this early on was if it came with a can’t miss trade package that would instantly upgrade their shot to win a title in the next season or two. But it doesn’t look like a deal like that would come along ahead of the trade deadline next month.
Moreover, I personally couldn’t tell what the status of Coby would be given how well he’s played of late in the second unit and covering for point guard Lonzo Ball in the starting five when he was in the league’s health and safety protocol. It looked like Coby could still be made available for the right return, and that still looks to be the case.
At this point, the Bulls might be able to get a lot more for Coby than they would’ve otherwise earlier this season or last offseason. It should still be expected that the Bulls won’t part ways with Coby without the right return, though. He’s playing too well of late and fills an important role as a second-unit scorer.
Following a dominant 46-point win over the division foe Detroit Pistons on the night of Jan. 11, the Bulls are sitting on a record of 27-11, good for first place in the Eastern Conference standings. Next up for the Bulls is a meeting with the Brooklyn Nets in the back end of back-to-back games at home on Jan. 12.