Bulls' Blueprint for 2023 NBA Trade Deadline
The Chicago Bulls are confusing.
Just check their last seven games for the latest evidence of that.
First, they reeled off three consecutive wins over the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz. Then, Chicago dropped three straight, including losing to a Washington Wizards team without Bradley Beal or Kristaps Porziņģis and suffering a double-digit defeat to the rebuilding Oklahoma City Thunder. Then, the Bulls poured in 132 points in a 14-point win over the defending champion Golden State Warriors.
At almost any other point on the NBA calendar, this type of inconsistency is wildly frustrating. In the month leading up to the trade deadline, though, confusion equals fascinating.
Everything from a total teardown to an aggressive win-now move feels on the table in the Windy City. It's too early to say for certain what's in the cards for Chicago, but the following three-step blueprint feels like a reasonable approach to trade season.
1. Commit to a Timeline
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Back in May 2021, Bulls vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas declared, "We will not settle for mediocrity here."
Nearly two years later, though, Chicago is logging serious mileage on the treadmill of mediocrity.
The Bulls should use this deadline to escape this fate and pick a direction. If they're trying to win big with DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević, then they need to find a more concrete plan at point guard beyond simply waiting for Lonzo Ball to suddenly recover from a now year-long knee injury.
If Chicago doesn't see a high enough ceiling to give up the assets needed to make that happen, though, then it's time to talk tearing this thing to the studs. Free agency awaits the 32-year-old Vučević this summer and the 33-year-old DeRozan the next. If the organization's aim isn't contending for the crown sooner than later, then these 30-somethings (and possibly LaVine) should be shopped around for future-focused asset collections.
2. Shop Coby White
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Ever since spending the No. 7 pick of the 2019 draft on Coby White, the Bulls have struggled to find the right fit for the combo guard.
He's been both a starter and a spark-plug reserve. Neither really worked. In his first three seasons, he posted three consecutive negative net differentials.
The good news is his differential is finally in the green this season. The bad news is he's never handled a smaller role. It's not only that his 21.2 minutes per outing are easily a career-low, it's that the same holds true for his 16.9 usage percentage, per Basketball-Reference.
With restricted free agency on deck for White after this season, the time to move him is now.
3. Quietly Gauge Patrick Williams' Trade Value
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What kind of player is Patrick Williams? The fact that question remains tricky to answer nearly three years after his arrival as the No. 4 pick of the 2020 draft speaks volumes about the kind of career he's had.
There have been flashes of high-end on-ball defense and shot-creation. There have also been maddening stretches of inconsistency and a lack of aggression. His player efficiency rating to date is a paltry 10.7; the league average mark is 15.
Do the Bulls still view him as a potential building block? If the answer is anything other than an unequivocal yes, then Chicago should at least gauge his market. Maybe the right rebuilder still sees cornerstone potential in him. If they do, then dealing him for a difference-maker could be the kind of shrewd move that helps the Bulls salvage this season.
If Chicago does talk Williams trades, though, it needs to do everything it can to keep those conversations under wraps. It's certainly possible the right offer never materializes, and the Bulls will need him moving forward. They have to be careful about making the 21-year-old feel unwanted.
