As Chicago takes on the Charlotte Hornets on the road on the night of Feb. 9, the Bulls rumors are actually calming down a good bit. We are less than 24 hours from the start of the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 10. And there was a point in time where it looked like the Bulls would be one of the more aggressive teams at the deadline with some potential trade chips such as point guard Coby White and forward Derrick Jones Jr.
But those rumors seem to be pretty quiet at this point as there doesn’t look to be one or two clear big-name trade targets for the Bulls at the deadline. There could still be some moves that the front office makes on Feb. 10. Unless they make what would be a pretty abrupt move at this point to get someone like the Detroit Pistons star forward Jerami Grant or Sacramento Kings veteran forward Harrison Barnes, most of the moves for the Bulls would be smaller at the deadline.
Moreover, one of the potential indicators that the Bulls could be quieter than originally anticipated at the deadline is the fact that the Coby rumors have really died down. Now, that definitely doesn’t mean that the Bulls won’t make the move to deal him out if the perfect trade comes along. But they might not be shopping him as much as some fans anticipated earlier in the season.
Bulls rumors could be reversing course indicating that Chicago could hang onto Coby White
Coby White hasn't landed in any rumors in advance of Thursday's trade deadline. But he also represents one of the Bulls' biggest assets.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) February 9, 2022
Talked to White about this: "I think I'll be here."
More here for @NBCSChicago: https://t.co/4F8sk0hRqL
A piece from NBC Sports Chicago on Feb. 9 indicates that Coby “feels valued” and it doesn’t look like he’s really expecting to be dealt at the deadline. This seems to be a different tone surrounding the trade status of Coby even compared to what we saw last season.
And obviously, nothing happened to Coby at the trade deadline so last season. This would lead many to think that the likelihood has to be now that he won’t be dealt at the deadline. It feels like the odds are about 80/20 if you asked me to put a number on the probability that Coby is dealt at the deadline.
At this point, I would more realistically expect the Bulls to deal out a player on an expiring contract such as DJJ or forward Troy Brown Jr. It might not be too realistic at this point to anticipate that the Bulls will deal out some of their younger players such as Coby and forward Patrick Williams.
Coby and the Bulls are currently sporting a record of 33-21 as they’re taking on the Hornets in Charlotte at the moment. The Bulls could be active at the deadline, but it looks more like they will just be making minor adjustments to the rotation on Feb. 10 if anything happens.