The Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline is creeping closer and rumors are swirling faster as the hours—not days—pass. Most of the news involving the Chicago Bulls centers around guard Zach LaVine and center Nikola Vucevic and, to a lesser extent, Lonzo Ball.
Vucevic appears to be the most likely to go. At this point, it would be a surprise if he was still with the team on Feb. 7.
LaVine's name pops up from time to time but not in any concrete fashion. Over the past week or so, the two-time All-Star has more often than not been mentioned as a throw-in piece should the Bulls decide to help facilitate a Jimmy-Butler-to-Phoenix deal.
In that scenario, Chicago would be expected to trade LaVine and take on Suns guard Bradley Beal. That seems unlikely, as Beal would have to waive his no-trade clause, and Phoenix would need to send the Bulls multiple first-round picks to get them to bite.
Ball is reportedly a target of the Los Angeles Lakers, although there hasn't been much movement on that rumor since it was first raised.
Vucevic is likely on the move in the next 10 days, and Ball could be as well, though it looks like LaVine will stay put.
Regardless of how this trade deadline shakes out—or the one in 2026, for that matter—Chicago's most inexcusable roster mistake will still be around, likely posting useless stat lines and serving as a reminder of how poor this front office has been.
The Bulls will still be stuck with Patrick Williams after the trade deadline dust settles
After this season, Chicago will still owe LaVine about $95 million, assuming he picks up his player option for 2026-27 (which he will). Even if he sticks around through the end of his deal, his won't be the most egregious contract the organization is forced to carry.
That would be forward Patrick Williams, who Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas and General Manager Marc Eversley decided was in dire need of a five-year, $90 million contract last summer.
For some befuddling reason, the pair believed that a player who's averaged 9.7 points and 4.2 rebounds through his first four NBA seasons was worth $18 million a year.
Unsurprisingly, Williams has been decidedly below average again in 2024-25.
Is he taking up as much cap space as LaVine or even Vucevic ($20 million per year)? No. But is he even half as valuable? Not even close.
Is there a chance the Bulls can talk another NBA team into taking a flier on a toolsy, 23-year-old former top-five pick? Maybe. Despite his flaws, Williams remains, at least physically, the ideal archetype of a two-way combo forward.
Clearly, however, he hasn't built anything with those tools, and after more than four years, the chances of him having any kind of "eureka" moment are slim.
So was Vucevic's extension unwise and unnecessary? Absolutely. Has LaVine's max deal been a thorn in the Bulls' side for multiple seasons now? For sure.
But both players will be gone by the end of 2026-27 at the latest.
Meanwhile, Chicago will still be paying Williams—by far this regime's most egregious decision—$18 million a year for another two seasons after that. (Assuming he picks up his $18 million player option for 2028-29. But come on. Who wouldn't want to make that money to score nine points a game?)