The NBA trade deadline is usually full of monster plot twists, swings, and turns. Thursday was no exception. The NBA did not disappoint from a host of quality teams adding depth and rotation players (and less so) to bona fide title contenders like the 76ers nabbing James Harden. What is The Association, if not for superstars and good players featured in new cities seemingly every year?
But there was one notable team missing from the fracas of Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania’s Twitter accounts: The Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls currently sit in third place in the Eastern Conference. That’s despite missing basically half of their core players like Alex Caruso, Lonzo Ball, and Patrick Williams. In a year where All-Star starter DeMar DeRozan is arguably having the best season of his career, it might have paid off to add a player or two, perhaps even trading the 2020 No. 4 overall pick in Williams. You never know when a title window will manifest and, just as quickly, when it’ll disappear. It’s a cruel league in a cruel sport.
Tipico Sportsbook has the Bulls with just the fifth-best odds to win the East (+1500), behind the Heat, 76ers, Bucks, and Nets. That’s not even taking into account other up-and-comers right in line with Chicago like the Cavs and Raptors, who improved with additions of Caris Levert and Thaddeus Young, respectively.
Instead, team president Arturas Karnisovas, who spearheaded the Bulls’ resurgence, decided to stand Pat. Get it? Oh, it’s okay. I’ll see myself out.
Bulls exec VP Artūras Karnišovas, via Zoom: We like this group. We’re waiting for guys to come back from injuries. We liked what we looked like when everyone was healthy.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) February 10, 2022
It is vital to note that the Bulls have been more banged-up than their counterparts. Whereas most of the other Eastern heavyweights have generally had the full complement of their lineups, the Bulls are now effectively using a six-man rotation– in February, no less–without each of Caruso, Ball and Williams. We don’t really know how good this team is or what they’re capable of.
For an organization with quality future potential pieces like Williams, it makes perfect sense not to trade him for short-term gain.
From my understanding, Bulls never seriously considered including Patrick Williams in any package. Also have heard mid-March discussed as soft target date for his return, though rehabs obviously are fluid.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) February 10, 2022
Come March, the Bulls expect to have a healthy roster again (knock on wood). Unfortunately, the deadline came this early, but then again, the Bulls had nothing to gain by pushing their chips in while this banged up. They may well still make a deep playoff run. Heck, they might even win the East. Who knows? We don’t understand enough of their entire roster together to say a trade would’ve been the right move otherwise.
Besides, this is incredibly important: They have to save some of their current guys for a sign-and-trade for the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic. Anyone? Anyone? Oh, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, too.
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