🔥 BREAKING: Bulls Facing Trade Storm — Rumors Are Blowing Across the League, Sam Smith Gets a Hard Question: “Does Chicago Dare to Make a Move?”.P1

Guy Danilowitz: Trade for Anthony Davis? Yes, it looks like he’s injury prone.  But generally a good guy and doesn’t come with the baggage of some of the other stars that may be on the block eg morant.  With the firing of Nico Harrison, could Davis be on the block?  When healthy he seems like the type of athletic 2-way star who could fit in with this group and get them to the next level.  And he’s a Chicago kid.

Sam: He once was the dream addition here, though I’d say now more of a nightmare. I expect that he eventually will be on the market, and he’d have a chance to make the Bulls better immediately. And a fan sent me a John Wall podcast (not on my list) where he said he heard Davis wants out of Dallas to go to Chicago to “see what’s going on.” It’s getting cold, if he didn’t know. But I don’t like the long term prospects and I’d stay away. I know I threw out a wild suggestion about trading for LeBron — I know, not happening — but that would be a rental with the idea that Boston and Indiana get their guys back next season, so take one shot without endangering your future. Davis could because after this season as he turns 33, he has two seasons left averaging $60 million per season. End of salary space, which is OK if you can get your star. And he is, or maybe was. The danger with these guys who were All-Stars with an injury history and huge contracts is they’re vulnerable to a repeat, and then you are stuck for years. Lately Bradley Beal, but also Damian Lillard, Kawhi Leonard, Embiid, Paul George, Zion, Ja. They cripple your franchise for years to come. Sure, anyone can get injured, but you willingly take a risk with a player who hasn’t been. But with players who have a history like Davis — it was cruel, but everyone understood when they started calling him Street Clothes on the TNT, now ESPN, show — you are rolling the dice in a dark alley. Maybe if he had just one season left and you could lose the salary, but he also doesn’t fit your timeline with players like Buzelis, Giddey, Essengue and draft picks to come. Hard pass, if it were me. I do believe the Mavericks will try to trade him. Because they have jumped the line in the tank derby. They got the player, Cooper Flagg, you tank a season for. They sold off most of their draft picks with the Luka mess, so also they’ve got to get first round picks in return for Davis. The Bulls have the expiring salaries to make a deal work and look like a big winner in a deal. But I doubt the Bulls are adding firsts anymore after the Vučević deal. The Mavericks don’t control their 2027, 2028, 2029, and 2030 first rounders. But with Flagg as the anchor they could expedite a rebuild while blaming the losses for a few seasons on the past GM. Once Kyrie returns and is up to speed you also could see him on the market.

Roman Blazys: With the losing streak, it is apparent that the Bulls may need a superstar to dominate and close out games. Do you see any future trade potentials besides AD, free agents, now or on the horizon? The Memphis center, Jackson and Trae Young are intriguing. Do you think the Bulls can home grow or trade for an up and coming star?

Sam: Obviously not Trae since in Giddey the Bulls are fine at point guard. But as good as Giddey has been, he’s not a finisher. I suspect there’s a chance Matas could develop into one. He’s been inconsistent this season, but we forget how young he still is. The free agent market isn’t great next summer, but the Bulls may have substantial salary cap room and there could be some available, call them B-level types, like Norman Powell, Kristaps Porziņģis, Austin Reaves or Anferee Simons. Players become estranged and teams look to offload, and teams to watch could be Memphis with Ja, the Pelicans with Zion, the Hornets with LaMelo, the Kings with everyone (been there, done that, though), maybe the Jazz with Markkanen, but also been there, and if the Warriors falter Jimmy? Yeah, been there, as well. There suddenly are a lot of teams that may be going into tank mode, like Dallas, New Orleans, Sacramento, Memphis and maybe even the Clippers to join the East’s longtime bottom dwellers. Meanwhile, it’s often difficult to see a big name suddenly coming available, but the NBA surprises us all the time, Watch that space.

Josh Garcia: That loss to the Pistons was tough to watch. I’m glad Billy and Kevin called it out afterward, because the Bulls just didn’t deserve to win. It stung even more when Detroit showed Dan Campbell and Ben Johnson on the Jumbotron and the crowd went nuts. It felt like they were rubbing it in. Do you think a game like that can finally light a fire under this team or is it just another reminder that they’re still struggling to find real consistency and accountability?

Sam: Eleven games into the season isn’t about “lighting a fire” as much as fans would like. The players certainly didn’t like what occurred, but they also know it’s 71 more, and White, Coillins and Giddey were not playing. Some you flush as much as Donovan doesn’t endorse that, but there’s also a reason most outsiders predicted the Bulls to be a playin team. It’s up to them to prove otherwise, and as Donovan pointed out afterward, it’s a team that will have to rely more on Norm Van Lier’s 48 minutes of intensity than natural talent. Not because they lost badly, but because if they don’t there could be more. I know the start was encouraging, but I doubt management began thinking they were now playing for a title. Nah, I wouldn’t worry about rubbing it in. After all, they’re living in Detroit and not you. Just kidding, but I couldn’t resist. I’d look at Detroit as an aberration — game, not city — considering it hardly looked like any of the previous Bulls games.

Evan Moreno: What’s frustrating is how familiar this feels after Detroit. We started the season strong: beat the Knicks at home in our first NBA Cup game, went 5-0 for the first time since ‘96–97 and now we’re back to losing close games we should be winning. I know injuries have played a role, but it still feels like the same old story. Meanwhile, the Pistons — who we beat in our home opener last month — have now won eight straight. That’s the kind of streak we should be on. I’m glad the Bulls fought to get within 1 at the end, but I expected more from this group; especially since Billy talked about developing mental toughness while playing back-to-backs during training camp. Nights like that make me miss DeMar, AC and especially LaVine. He always seemed to take it personally against Detroit.

Sam: Thanks for a Zach shoutout; he was capable of some great stuff, and the truth is the Bulls had closers, especially DeMar. But that recipe had gotten stale and it was time to try something different. It’s, as they say, a work in progress. And not that I’d say to go back for DeMar because the Bulls style has evolved, and they do have a different identity. Which also makes it difficult to find that classic closer since so many of them operate in the half court. I’m anxious to see Coby White on his return once his minutes are up because he’s capable of those moments. I also wouldn’t be disappointed because 6-5 at this point is a good beginning with a competitive schedule. Strength of schedule doesn’t mean much this time of the year because teams are still developing. There’s also that small margin of error in the NBA that Donovan talks about for the Bulls. It’s true the Bulls took some tough losses like against the Cavaliers and Spurs they easily could have won. But they also won some games in that fast start they easily could have lost, the 76ers blowing a 24-point lead failing to score in the last six minutes, the Pistons and Knicks coming back from 20-point deficits to be in position to win in the fourth with plenty of time left. So credit the Bulls for responding in those games, but you can’t count only the near misses. It’s like judging the officiating, but you know you only are watching the calls they should have made for your team.

Esteban Vera: The recent drop in the standings has many fans singing rain rain go away. With Coby’s return on the horizon, it seems we have only seen a sample of what this team is capable of. With a healthy team, do you think the Bulls will be able to overcome these close games they have lost recently?

Sam: Can’t hurt, and as I’ve said all this at least has ended the questions about whether Coby would destroy the chemistry. A lot of these games come down to other factors beyond the make-or-miss, but I like the look of the team with White back at shooting guard with Giddey despite it not being the best defensive look. And I do think the burden has been a bit much on Vučević and as some were suggesting preseason maybe it makes sense to have him splitting the minutes with the more defensive-oriented Zach Collins, who the team also hopes to have back later this month. He should be a big help with interior rim protection.

Ateeq Ahmed: I was looking at Noa’s big game with Windy City. 28 pts, 8 rebs in 29 mins is impressive. 11/21 shooting is not great but shows he’s confident in taking shots. If memory serves, I think Matas was having games like this with Windy City. Hopefully that’s a good sign for Noa and his transition to the big league. Is the plan to keep him with Windy City for most of season?

Sam: I suspect he will be with Windy City just about all season because that’s where he should be. He’s still a teenager, though the impressive part to me was he came right in and dominated, which is a big sign of whether you are an NBA player. Not all the Bulls draft picks have done that with Windy City. I watched that game — I know, but I’m not clubbing as much as I did or should — and he was impressively fluid with his movement, confident and active offensively. He looked lost on defense, which hardly bodes well for putting him on the court with the Bulls this season. His growth won’t come being with the team for shootarounds and practices with the guys waving the brooms around to distract a shot. He needs to be in games, and Windy City provides that.

Mike Sutera: Essengue in his G League debut looked impressive. Size/handles/can shoot. Just needs to get stronger.  I did notice he isnt that explosive/athletic but hey neither was Dirk, eh? Did you see Brandon Ingram in his game?

Sam: That’s a pretty good comp, a fluid if not jump-out-of-the-gym, long skilled player. You could do worse than adding someone like that, and Essengue seems to have the feel for shooting the three more so than Ingram likes to. Of course, get stronger and all that.

Alec McDonald: Do you see any similarities between this Bulls team after the start they had and last year’s OKC Thunder in terms of chemistry and connection? The Thunder were known for their closeness and it feels like the Bulls are building something similar; guys talking about loving each other, hanging out off the court and really buying in. Do you think that kind of chemistry can be a real difference-maker over the course of the season?

Sam: Well, no. It’s nice when teammates can have fun and get along together, though I recall a six-time champion team that didn’t much. And the fans seemed happy with that. All that post game guys rooting for one another stuff is nice and good TV, and TV eats that up. But respect on the court is what works for them. You don’t have to watch the Bears together, or even The Bear, to feast on the league. Let’s also remember what the Thunder did what the Bulls are not doing, and while I’m on board with the Bulls vision, it’s not what the Thunder did to get where they are. Remember, Billy Donovan left OKC after the 2019-20 season because they were going full tank. They spent at least two seasons trying to lose every game. And came pretty close to succeeding. They were a 50-win ish team that traded it’s best player averaging almost 30 a game to get a kid averaging 10 points for the Clippers, name of Gilgeous-Alexander. The tanking got them Chet Holmgren and Giddey, the latter who they flipped to get Alex Caruso, vital for their title. They also got their No. 2 guy, Jalen Williams, with a lottery pick. They missed the playoffs twice in that tank, and then were an early out in the playin. But you can do that with somewhat less looking-over-the-shoulder in a market merely grateful you are there. The camaraderie is appealing, though not quite an end game.

Alejandro Yegros: Those last two minutes of the SA game… wow. I’ve seen hundreds of game winning shots in my life, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one quite like that Wemby shot. A step-back three from a 7’4″ player and he took it so casually, waving off all picks… like it was practice and there was no doubt. It’s the most easy-looking game winning iso move I’ve ever seen. Even if a guard had gotten that switch on Vooch, the Fox would have been more hectic than Wemby was. Impressive.

Sam: And, of course, ridiculous. C’mon, 7-5 and he’s shooting from 28 feet? Sometimes you do everything right, as the Bulls did, and it ends up wrong. Happens.

Abe Rotbart: The winning is great, but is it sustainable? The Bulls have five key players in Vučević, White, Dosumnu, Collins and Heurter, unsigned past this season. It being a contract year for those players, it’s also an incentive for them to have a career year. But clearly, it would seem that the team we are watching now is not going to be the one we see next year and may even look quite different by the trade deadline. Would it be egregious for AK not to pursue trades at all, again?

Sam: I believe I would. It would be exciting to have a team making a run of some sort this season, and it probably is possible given the injury weaknesses of some of the prior top teams. But if I were the Bulls I’d be aiming for the longer view. Unless, of course, they can get LeBron, as I suggested. But failing that, which certainly will fail, management has pointed to next summer with the salary cap room and all the expiring contract you mention. Had that 5-0 start extended to, say, 72-10, maybe you reup everyone. But we seem past that. I’d be looking at perhaps getting some draft picks, maybe fitting in a future position; maybe like OKC saw with that Shai kid who was a low priority with those Clippers who had stars in their eyes. Which sometimes can blind you about the present. That’s really how you usually find a star. Not buying one who already has that on his business card.

Michael Queen: If Tatum doesnt return and the Celtics look like a play in team do they shop White to the highest bidder? He is struggling as the de-facto #2 offensively. Rockets and Pistons both could use another ballhandler and both have picks to spare.  Kon Kneuppel kind of reminds me of a young Klay Thompson; take a look.

Sam: This isn’t Boston’s last season, but he is sort of a luxury, a tough, clutch role player making more than $30 million, who you can afford for a title team. But maybe a little too extravagant for the end of the starting lineup, and too much to ask to replace someone like Jayson Tatum. Mostly, it’s difficult to see the path forward for the Celtics after moving out their front line and Jrue Holiday. If I were them, I’d take the gap year. Cash in White — they’re not likely making the playoffs, anyway — get Tatum ready for next season, add a high draft pick and you’ve at least got a foundation without a long overhaul. Kneuppel, meanwhile, is intriguing, though less to me that he’s probably leading for Rookie of the Year. And where he could be going. Charlotte’s as usual probably stuck just out of the playin again and just out of the bottom for the top pick. Steph Curry come home? Curry long has flirted with a return home to Charlotte, where his dad is still a team broadcaster. The salient point is it looks like the Warriors are starting to ride it down with an aging team. Steve Kerr hasn’t agreed yet to reup after this season, and last week Draymond Green was blaming the young players. Branch Rickey, the baseball executive who brought Jackie Robinson to the major leagues, once sagaciously advised that it’s better to trade a player one year too soon than one year too late. Of course, no one ever follows that and ends up riding it down for sentimental reasons. Trading Curry, of course, would be hugely unpopular in Warriors land. But they aren’t winning any more titles with that group. Cash in Kuminga midseason? Maybe, but not for that much. Curry’s only got one season left on his deal after this. Maybe you pry away Kneuppel and some picks. The Hornets have long looked to be noticed. Maybe they fall for it. I know the Bulls won that last title in 1998 by keeping Scottie Pippen. But if they hadn’t they would have had Tracy McGrady and lottery picks, and then free agency in 2000 looks a lot better to free agents than it did, and maybe you get a player and don’t need to trade Elton Brand and you don’t have to spend six years in NBA purgatory. That Warriors cupboard is starting to look awfully bare. That is the franchise, remember, that missed the playoffs 17 of 18 seasons pre-Splash Brothers.

Maria Casas: I’m looking forward to seeing what Coby and Josh bring once they’re back. Despite the loss, I actually like where this team is going. The energy and chemistry feel better than anything we’ve seen in the last few years and it seems like they’re finally building something sustainable. Can’t fans be at least a little excited about that?

Sam: There are little detours and disappointments like the last few games, but my sense is the fan community mostly likes what they see with the style of play, the unselfishness and movement, and that the team has picked an appealing lane and is starting to put in place a foundation of attractive young players. Just not enough quite yet. But the plan wasn’t to peak quite yet as much as the first two weeks suggested.

Devin Tuazon: I’ve seen some of the talk about Ja Morant possibly coming to the Bulls and I really hope there’s no truth to it. As talented and explosive as he is — and I get the Derrick Rose comparisons — I like the direction this team is taking. Josh Giddey has done a wonderful job leading the group so far and once Coby’s back along with the continued development of Matas, the backcourt looks promising. My hesitation with Ja isn’t about talent, it’s about fit and leadership; he can remind me a bit of Jimmy Butler when things don’t go his way. Given how much this team values chemistry, wouldn’t adding a personality like that risk disrupting what they’re building?

Sam: I doubt he’s been a blip anywhere around the Bulls. It does seem like it’s nearing the end for him in Memphis, but like with Zion, like the Bulls found out with LaVine, with perhaps Anthony Davis, Paul George, Trae Young, when you’re stumbling and everyone knows you want to make a deal, and the player makes a lot of money, it’s very difficult to make one. Like Zion, Ja’s status is so uncertain because his body doesn’t seem like it can stand up to an NBA season. You pay a max salary for a player like that and you sentence yourself perhaps to years of trying to dig out. Not to worry. He’s not coming here.

Parker Lerdal: How did Lenny Wilkens become one of the top 15 greatest coaches of all-time including Gregg Popovich, Evanston Native Erik Spoelstra, Pat Riley, ex-Bull Phil Jackson, Dr. Jack Ramsay.

Sam: Lenny, who passed earlier this week, was just a wonderful person, and maybe the most underrated of the greatest of all time. Because he never was about Lenny. He grew up near where I did in Brooklyn and was an unheralded, if talented, player because he was barely six foot in an era of giants. He was the ultimate teammate, a pass first point guard, a clever ball handler and shooter who might remind you today the way he played of someone like Mike Conley. Lenny was the classic coach on the floor, eventually becoming one of the last of the player/coach era and a turnaround specialist who led a Seattle team without an All-Star to the Finals, and then a championship the following season. Those who follow the Bulls and look for a team that can succeed without the star/closer can look to those late 1970s Supersonics. What also stood out with Lenny was his incredible morality and sense of fairness. I remember one story that actually got him in trouble with his team, the St. Louis Hawks. Back then players voted the awards. The team told its players not to give even a third place vote to Dave Bing, the eventual winner, so they could push their own guy, Lou Hudson. Lenny refused in saying it was unfair to manipulate the voting that way. Lenny started for those St. Louis Hawks, but in then segregated St. Louis because of his race he wasn’t allowed to dine at the restaurant across the street from the arena even though they featured pictures of the five starters in the window. He just put his head down, never complained, and became an All-Star and team leader. Eventually enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player, coach and Dream Team member.  He met hate with calm and confidence, was a nine-time All-Star, one of the winningest coaches ever, All-Star game MVP when it was a game, assistant for the Dream Team and head coach for the 1996 USA squad. It was during that 1996 time at a practice one day Shaq walked up to Lenny and inquired, “Coach, you ever play?” Lenny just smiled. Shaq that night got a long lecture from his dad about just how great was Lenny Wilkens and what a force he was during the most turbulent times in the NBA. Shaq apologized the next day. Lenny just smiled.

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