The Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline is inching closer, and the Chicago Bulls have some decisions to make, especially on guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu. If the Minnesota Timberwolves remain quiet over the next few weeks, as recent reports suggest, the Bulls will lose some of the leverage they need to secure valuable assets in a deal.
The Timberwolves have been linked to White for more than a month as they look to upgrade their backcourt. Mike Conley, Bones Hyland and Terrence Shannon Jr. aren't going to cut it next to Donte DiVincenzo and Anthony Edwards for a team with title aspirations.
White has also been linked to the Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks and Detroit Pistons.
But if Minnesota takes itself out of the equation, the most obvious fit for either of Chicago's 25-year-old guards goes off the board, which makes trading them an even more difficult proposition.
Timberwolves could stay quiet at the NBA trade deadline
Despite the rumors linking Minnesota to White, fellow Bulls guard Tre Jones or several other potentially available players, Jon Krawczysnki of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Wolves have reasons to believe they don't need to add anything at the deadline.
Minnesota's desire to bolster its backcourt only goes so far. The franchise is approaching the dreaded second apron, which removes them from discussions for expensive pieces like Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies and LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets.
Krawczysnki also points out that the Timberwolves are hesitant to lose their depth -- 10 players average double figures in minutes, and 10 have appeared in at least 30 games. As one player told Krawczynski: "We don’t need anything. We’re a really, really good team.”
A quiet trade deadline for Minnesota would be bad news for the Bulls
If the Timberwolves refrain from making any needle-moving trades, Chicago's ability to land premium assets in exchange for White, Dosunmu or even Jones drops precipitously. Bulls Executive VP of Basketball Operations Artūras Karnišovas would lose a suitor in a market that isn't very active to begin with.
Hypothetically, say Minnesota drops out of the White sweepstakes. The Pistons, a somewhat logical landing spot for the former UNC star, could afford to low-ball
Karnišovas
and offer a trio of second-round picks. The Rockets don't seem in a hurry to shake anything up. The Mavericks could focus on acquiring a high draft pick rather than adding pieces. Atlanta already took a big swing.
If there's no team to out-bid Detroit, the best the Bulls could do before the deadline expires would be those three second-rounders. That falls short of what Chicago is hoping to land in exchange for White. And that means
Karnišovas
may decide to just hold onto his team's most skilled scorer and hope to re-sign him in the offseason. That's always a risky proposition for this front office.
The Bulls could use all the trade partners they can find. If the Timberwolves -- perhaps the most natural landing spot for White -- are no longer interested, Chicago's leverage takes a massive hit.