Bulls are going to be the team to watch at trade deadline
Matt Marton - USA Today Sports

Bulls are going to be the team to watch at trade deadline


by - Senior Writer -

As we inch closer to the NBA trade deadline, it is time to start looking at who the contenders are and who the pretenders are. Regarding the Bulls, it is safe to say that this team isn't a contender this season, as they haven't been able to get on track this year.

Coming off a season where they made the playoffs, but faded toward the second half of the season, a lot of the NBA world was wondering what this team would do next. Given the players, they added last week, and where they stood in cap space, this team was only able to make a few additions last season and thus put them in an interesting situation.

From a talent side, this team is still one of the more talented teams in the Eastern Conference, but yet sit three games under .500 and are struggling to hold onto the final spot in the playoffs. A big reason for their struggles has been the lack of shooting that this team wasn't able to acquire this offseason, but also, not having Lonzo Ball has certainly made life miserable from an offensive side.

Considering where this team is sitting, they are still in the playoff hunt and will likely find a way to get into the postseason field again this year. However, if that happens, it could be another short exit, as this team needs to have what it takes to make significant noise. With that being said, the Bulls are going to be the team to watch come the trade deadline, as most NBA executives are waiting to see what this team is going to do.

According to plenty of NBA insiders, most of them expect the Bulls to stand pat as they may want to run this roster back one more season with a healthy Ball. However, that hasn't stopped them from taking phone calls and, at the very least, putting some names out for discussions.

You have heard about the Zach Lavine to Los Angeles Lakers rumors, but that report is farfetched at this point, and I find it highly unlikely that move will happen unless this season goes south in a hurry. You then have heard Andre Drummond's name and Alex Caruso's pop up.

Caruso is the one to pay attention to the most, as the Bulls have set an extremely high asking price for him. They want two first-round picks for a Caruso deal, and to me, that is idiotic to think they will get even one first-round pick for him. He is not a Superstar player, but he has thrived as a defensive specialist in this league. Teams can always use a guy like Caruso, but it will not break the bank for him.

The other name that has started to pop back up has been talked about for several seasons, which is Coby White. If Ball were healthy, White would have been traded already or, at the very worst, would be the top priority to be moved at the deadline. However, he is playing the best and most consistent basketball of his career and has emerged as a massive weapon off the bench for the Bulls. Losing him would be a considerable blow unless you can get someone of value to come back to Chicago for him.

That could be the case, as the Bulls and Suns have been discussing a trade that would send White to Phoenix in exchange for Jae Crowder. Seeing Crowder come to Chicago shouldn't surprise anyone, as this deal was discussed this past offseason, with White being mentioned in that deal.

To see the Bulls and Suns engaging in similar talks again with the same players being discussed shows that this deal was never put on the back burner and is something both teams are considering doing. Crowder is a talented veteran presence that this Bulls team could use and would still give them an excellent scoring option off the bench.

He would also give the Bulls some much-needed size behind Patrick Williams, as Derrick Jones Jr has been the backup PF for the last few months. I think it would take more than just White to get Crowder to come to Chicago, but on the flip side, the Bulls could also get a draft pick to join him on the exchange.

The next two weeks will be the telling tale of what this Bulls team will do come the deadline. Should they remain in the playoff hunt, they might stand pat or address a smaller role on this team. Should they start to fade and fall out of contention, you could see them trade off assets and build for the future. Crowder could be a short-term part of their future.

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