As the NBA trade deadline rapidly approaches, lots of eyes will be glued to the Chicago Bulls, who have long been considered one of the top sellers. Despite their recent success, having pulled themselves up into the Play-In Tournament race, they could still be looking to shake things up and move away from their current core.
Zach LaVine’s name has consistently popped up in rumors, DeMar DeRozan is in the final year of his contract, and Alex Caruso is a 3-and-D guard that lots of contenders would love to get their hands on. The Bulls have shown a relative unwillingness to completely rebuild, but taking on more young pieces could be worthwhile.
According to Matt Moore of Action Network, the Bulls are one of a handful of teams to have expressed a potential interest in a trade for Atlanta Hawks wing AJ Griffin.
“In other Atlanta news, the Bulls, Rockets and Knicks have expressed interest in AJ Griffin, who has fallen out of the rotation under Quin Snyder this season,” Moore wrote when detailing Atlanta’s potential trade deadline plans.
The Hawks have struggled mightily this season, as the Bulls’ recent surge has led to them being completely out of the Play-In race at the moment. In turn, they’re expected to make some sort of significant move at the deadline.
Griffin has struggled this season after a successful rookie campaign. So far this year, he’s averaging 2.5 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.3 assists while shooting just 30.8% from the floor and 31.0% from behind the three-point line.
That said, at just 20 years old, he’s shown the ability to act as a solid 3-and-D player, so it may be worth it for the Bulls to take a chance on him if the opportunity presents itself in the right trade.
