With the All-Star reserves named last week for the Feb. 16 showcase in Chicago, the next big date on the league calendar is the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
The Bulls’ front office will be talking with other executives around the league, but given the recent rash of injuries that took Wendell Carter Jr., Lauri Markkanen and Kris Dunn out of the rotation, it seems unlikely they’ll make a significant move.
Even a trade of former lottery pick Denzel Valentine seems unlikely after Dunn’s knee sprain opened a spot for Valentine in the rotation for the the next month or so. It’s expected the Bulls will get calls about veteran forward Thaddeus Young, but he’s taken on a much more prominent role since Markkanen was injured.
So, basically it looks like the Bulls will be bystanders at the deadline.
Of course, that could be the case for most teams, since a weak 2020 draft is making first-round draft picks less valuable and executives are trying to preserve cap space for a loaded 2021 free agent class.
Several quality centers are believed to be available this week including Detroit’s Andre Drummond, Houston’s Clint Capela, Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson and Oklahoma City’s Steven Adams, but they aren’t likely to bring a huge return since the center position has gone out of vogue in today’s space and pace NBA.
A number of contending teams are looking to add perimeter shooting, so you’ll be hearing a lot of rumors this week involving players like Kevin Love, Danilo Gallinari, Marcus Morris, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Evan Fournier, Davis Bertans, Robert Covington, Glenn Robinson III, Alec Burks and Dennis Smith Jr.
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Bottom-feeding teams like the Knicks, Hawks and Cavs are probably willing to listen on just about any player from their roster, while the Timberwolves are reported to be making another pitch to acquire 2019 All-Star D’Angelo Russell from Golden State. And, former Bulls’ star Derrick Rose could be on the move if a contending team offers the Pistons a “lottery-level” first-round pick.
It might not be a landscape changing trade deadline, but don’t be surprised if contending teams like Philadelphia, Boston, Denver and Houston make moves to add that one player who could make a difference in a playoff series.
The trade deadline hits at 2 p.m. on Thursday. Now on to the power rankings.