It’s a nice option for the Bulls players to have as the Feb. 9 trade deadline approaches.
After all, it isn’t often that an NBA front office seems so willing to remain transparent with its roster, publicly stating that any concerns or questions regarding trade rumors or talk can be answered by a simple knock on Arturas Karnisovas’ door.
As of Monday, no one’s knocking.
It isn’t that the Bulls players don’t appreciate the openness of the executive vice president of basketball operations. It’s more about the locker room belief of worrying about controlling what can be controlled. Plus, this is a group that has way more on its plate than chasing down the authenticity of rumors.
“I know I encourage guys to communicate,’’ coach Billy Donovan said. “Something on your mind, communicate. You’ve got to be able to talk it out, but also helping them stay focused because I think with where we’re at right now this late in the season and where we are in the standings, we cannot be distracted by stuff that guys may not be able to have control over.’’
Sources have indicated that the Bulls are likely to stand pat at the deadline with what’s out there, maybe making a small tweak to the roster like making a move with veteran big man Andre Drummond.
The center has fallen out of the rotation, with Donovan opting to go with a smaller second unit and starting Derrick Jones Jr. at the center position.
Besides that, there’s not an itch that Karnisovas is willing to scratch, considering how they Bulls doubled down on the idea of keeping this roster intact and allowing it to grow together.
But that’s written in pencil, not pen.
Not all the hands are even close to being shown league-wide, so how a team feels today can quickly change by tomorrow.
That means there might be a few Bulls players that should give a knock on that door, or at least have an agent make a call, starting with Nikola Vucevic:
1. Vucevic: The Bulls big man told the Sun-Times at the start of the season that he was “a little surprised’’ that the front office didn’t even talk to him about their thoughts on his expiring contract. Vucevic didn’t expect an offer or a detailed scenario, but at least a “Hey, here’s what we’re thing as you enter a free-agent offseason.’’
That never happened.
Then factor in Indiana just extended center Myles Turner for two years, $60 million, and now a market has been set on what Vucevic could be looking for this summer.
With Zach LaVine’s max contract reaching the $40 million mark for the 2023-24 season, and the team looking to also extend Ayo Dosunmu off of his rookie deal, $30 million a year for Vucevic would be tricky for an organization that doesn’t step into the luxury tax area.
So could a bad week of basketball with four home games against very winnable teams change Karnisovas’ mind about “continuity?’’ If it does, Vucevic is a likely candidate to be talked about.
2. Coby White: Teams have been calling about White since the summer. The Sun-Times reported that several franchises were interested in acquiring White, but the asking price was too much. By all accounts, that asking price hasn’t changed for the upcoming restricted free agent.
White was currently shooting a three-year low 35.8% from three-point range, but he’s also become a much better defender, especially in the physicality department, and a better ball-handler.
A knock on the door from White or his agent might want to happen.
3. LaVine: Should LaVine be concerned about being moved? Unlikely. What he should want to know, however, is if he’s the face of the franchise, what is the front office thinking as far as making this team better? LaVine should find out how open that door really is.
