The Chicago Bulls are currently a team without an identity, as they haven’t chosen a clear direction for the roster and still have uncertainty around the future of Zach LaVine.
The Bulls took a step back with the Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan trades, and embraced more of a youth movement, but there are questions whether it was enough to ensure they keep their 2025 top-10 protected draft pick and not end up in NBA purgatory again, out of the playoffs with nothing to show for it in the draft.
There are few players on the Bulls who are safe if Chicago does decide to build around their young talent. Here is how the current roster ranks in trade value, from the guys you’d have to pay to give away to the borderline untouchables.
Players with negative trade value
-Lonzo Ball
-Zach LaVine
Lonzo Ball hasn’t played in over two years, though there are promising signs that he could return.
If he does, he will make medical history as the first player to return after having his particular surgery, so nothing is certain here.
As of right now, no one would take on Ball, though that could change by the deadline if he proves he is healthy and can still play. Any injury setback would all but guarantee the Bulls are paying out the rest of his contract.
LaVine is a talented player on a contract no one wants to touch, as it still has three seasons and he’s an injury liability as well.
Like Ball, LaVine could quickly rebuild his value just by being healthy, but until he is, the Bulls would have to take a sucker’s deal to trade him.
The contracts few teams would want
-Nikola Vucevic
-Patrick Williams
-Jevon Carter
Vucevic’s deal isn’t catastrophic, as it only runs for two more seasons and is a number teams could absorb.
If a desperation big man market develops, I’m sure we’ll hear his name brought up in trade rumors, but he’s not a guy teams are going to be calling about right now.
Vucevic puts up numbers but he can’t defend and his long-range shooting, which was one of his best attributes, has slipped. He’s an expensive backup at this point and teams can find those on the cheap.
I wouldn’t have put Patrick Williams here last season, but the Bulls just signed him to a ridiculous extension that no other team was going to touch. Not only did he get $90 million, but the 5th year is a player option.
Williams hasn’t shown anything to warrant that, and until he does, it’s hard to see any other team wanting any part of his contract.
This will be a big year for Williams to prove he was worth it, and if he can reach his ceiling, who knows, this could look like a value deal, but right now it looks like an overpay for an unknown.
Jevon Carter didn’t play much last season and he too got a player option from the Bulls, so good luck getting rid of him. This was a terrible signing that doesn’t get much attention, as Carter is a career 39 percent shooter from the field and is collecting $6.5 and 6.8 million over the next two seasons.
The player option continues to kill the Bulls.
Expiring contracts that could be moved for little
-Jalen Terry
-Chris Duarte
-Torrey Craig
Of these three, I expect Craig will be moved at some point, as he’s a veteran who could contribute to a good team and is on a minimum deal.
The Bulls may be able to get a second-round pick for him at the deadline if he’s in the rotation.
The other two are big unknowns as Terry hasn’t played much and Duarte can’t stay healthy.
It’s possible Duarte is healthy and hits enough shots that some team might give up something of little value for him at the deadline, but he’s a career 34 percent shooter from long range, and his shooting was supposed to be his best attribute.
The only way Terry or Duarte are moved is if the Bulls need their salaries to match in a bigger trade, but given that they are on expiring deals, that is possible.
Hard to get equal value for the Bulls in a trade
-Julian Phillips
-Jalen Smith
Phillips hasn’t done much yet but there is a possibility he gets more run next season and shows what he can do.
He has shown flashes of being a rotation player, and he’s on a minimum deal. Phillips isn’t a guy who is going to net you anything in a trade until he shows he can play, but he’s cheap and you need a few guys on minimum deals at the end of your roster.
Smith is on a team-friendly deal for his production and could be an asset in the future if he proves himself in a bigger role, which he should have with the Bulls.
He could end up in the starting lineup this season and is making under $10 million a year. Big men who can shoot will always have value, especially when they are on reasonable deals.
The prove it year player
-Josh Giddey
We know Giddey’s trade value at this point is at least one All-Defensive player, but with the Bulls unable to trade with themselves, they’d be unlikely to get that much if they put Giddey on the trade market.
That’s unlikely to happen, as the Bulls clearly think he can be part of their long-term plans and will likely pay him in restricted free agency next offseason.
If Giddey makes it clear he’s not going to re-sign with the Bulls, it’s feasible he could be moved at the deadline, though I am not sure what Chicago could expect to get for a guy on an expiring deal.
He’d likely be worth a first-round pick if the team trading for him had a wink-wink guarantee that he’d sign with them long term, but was there really a trade market for Giddey outside of Chicago?
I’m not sure.
The best value in the NBA?
-Ayo Dosunmu
Given that he is only making $7 and 7.5 million over the next two seasons (barely more than Jevon Carter), there is an argument that Ayo Dosunmu has the best value contract in the NBA.
This is a productive and versatile player who can guard multiple positions who shot over 50 percent from the field last season and over 40 percent from 3-point range.
He’s the type of glue guy that every team in the NBA would want, especially at that price.
It would be next to impossible for the Bulls to get equal value for Dosunmu and he could be worth even more if he makes another leap next season in a bigger offensive role.
The Bulls could definitely get a first-round pick and more for Ayo given his production and contract and anything less than that would be foolish for the Bulls to even consider.
The unknown with upside
-Matas Buzelis
Many players peak in trade value before they even play a game, as mystery and high upside are hard things for NBA teams to resist.
Buzelis had a strong showing in Summer League and has already been called a possible steal of the draft by some experts, so he would have trade value if the Bulls wanted to move him.
That’s not going to happen anytime soon, as the Bulls likely envision him as part of their rebuild.
Trading Buzelis would probably get you a first-round pick plus more, but that could change quickly one way or another.
The underpaid star
-Coby White
The Bulls have one of the most sought after commodities in the NBA: A borderline star who is making role player money.
Like Dosunmu, Coby White has an argument for the best value deal in the NBA, as he was second in the Most Improved Voting last season after making a big leap and is only making $12 and 12.8 million over the next two seasons.
White may never be a superstar, but he’s shown he can be at least an effective secondary scoring option and could easily make another leap next season now that he’ll be the primary option.
Given his contract, teams would likely give the Bulls a decent return for White and there is an argument that they should trade him now and cash in while his value is potentially at its peak.
The Bulls have to ask themselves if White is a guy they want to commit to long term with a big extension, and if not, they could move him for a haul of picks.
The Bulls have to play it smart with White and decide if his value to them as a player is worth more than what he represents in a trade. If they really want to kickstart a rebuild, that would be one way to do it.