NBA Trade Deadline: Chicago Bulls and 10 Teams That Needed to Deal but Didn't
Right after the trade deadline passes, fans immediately want to know who the winners and losers were.
What teams got better through trades? What teams got worse through trades? What teams advanced their future through trades? What teams have set themselves back a few years?
What teams got better by doing nothing? Finally, what teams desperately needed to trade and didn't?
All of these are great questions fans want, and need, to know the answers to.
For this article, we will be breaking down the final question proposed.
Here is a look at the 10 teams that really needed to make a trade and failed to do so.
10. San Antonio Spurs
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Easily one of the most conservative teams in the NBA, San Antonio sat back during this trade deadline.
The Spurs are currently 47-10, good enough for the best record in the NBA.
They don't really have any glaring weaknesses, so they will be fine without making any trades.
Don't be surprised if San Antonio goes after someone after March 1, since that is the first day players can be bought out.
Rest up San Antonio and get ready for a long playoff run.
9. Milwaukee Bucks: Stuck with Overpaid Players
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After last season, many NBA enthusiasts thought this year's team had a serious chance to be an NBA threat.
Unfortunately, the Bucks went out and spent money in all the wrong places.
They locked up Drew Gooden and John Salmons over long-term deals.
Signings like these will haunt the Bucks for years.
Milwaukee needed to make good moves to convince Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut to stay in town. However, they did just the opposite.
If the Bucks can't make some trades this summer, they will be in a bad position by this time next year.
8. Detroit Pistons: Looking To Change Identity?
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The Pistons are in a weird stage right now.
They have youngsters like Greg Monroe, Austin Daye and DaJuan Summers.
On the flip side, they have Rip Hamiltion, Tayshaun Prince and Ben Wallace.
In the middle they have Charlie Villanueva, Ben Gordon and Rodney Stuckey.
Apparently Detroit believes it is OK going forward with a wide-aged roster like that.
Hamilton was involved in trade discussions all year long, but he was not dealt. Prince recently was involved in similar talks, but like Hamilton, Prince stayed in town.
The Pistons made a very poor decision by not moving anyone this trade deadline.
Expect Detroit to fall further into the bottom of the NBA ranks because of this.
7. Philadelphia 76ers
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For some reason, Andre Iguodala was involved in trade rumors.
While Iggy has had a terrible season, he is still the face of that team.
Philadelphia is one of the overachieving teams in the NBA, but didn't do much to take the next step this trade deadline.
The 76ers had the opportunity to trade Jason Kapono and his expiring contract, but no one offered enough. Instead, Kapono will likely be bought out and sign with a contending team.
The 76ers' best hope this year will be to make the playoffs and try to put up a fight in the first round.
After failing to make a move before this deadline, the 76ers will need a lot of luck on their side to compete in the East this year.
6. Indiana Pacers
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The Pacers are a puzzling team.
They have multiple expiring contracts in T.J. Ford, Mike Dunleavy and Jeff Foster.
For reasons unknown, they decided not to trade anyone.
I'm not sure if Larry Bird hasn't been watching the current trends in free agency, but small markets (just like Indiana) are not the current hot spot for players to sign.
The Pacers and Grizzlies had a deal in place sending away Josh McRoberts for O.J. Mayo, but it fell through at the last second.
With Bird making the moves in the front office, it's not a complete surprise this trade (or any trade) went dead at the last second.
Expect at least one Pacer to get bought out by March 1.
5. Orlando Magic
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Whether the Magic want to believe it or not, they need help down low.
After two big-time deals earlier in the season, Orlando was left with only Dwight Howard in the frontcourt.
Orlando was rumored to be going after Zach Randolph, a move that would have drastically increased their title chances.
Unfortunately, they didn't make a move and will have to resort to free agency the rest of the way out.
Rumors of Troy Murphy being bought out have gone on for quite some time now.
Orlando will need to be one of the highest bidders for Murphy if they want to increase their title chances this year.
4. Detroit Pistons: Team Chemistry
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Like mentioned earlier, Detroit has a wide range of players on their team. From young to old, they have it all.
Rip Hamilton was rumored to be traded to Cleveland today, but the trade was stopped because Rip didn't agree to the buyout they offered him (good move, Rip).
Detroit also had the chance to trade Tayshaun Prince, but failed to do so.
Expect at least one or more Pistons to be bought out by March 1.
Detroit is getting ready for a heavy rebuilding phase, and it starts with letting Prince and Hamilton go.
Pull the trigger Detroit. Get rid of these guys and move on.
3. Los Angeles Lakers
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Los Angeles has looked far from the team they were the last two years.
The Lakers are sluggish, make far too many errors and can't seem to win the "easy" games.
Ron Artest was said to be on the market this season, but no move was made. It's hard to imagine much trade value would be out there for an old, trouble-making player like Artest.
On top of Artest's past, he is having a terrible year.
He can't seem to hit a shot and doesn't defend nearly at the level he used to.
Good luck, Los Angeles. It's weird to say that you will probably need it in the second half of this season.
2. Dallas Mavericks
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The Dallas Mavericks might be the most surprising team to not make a trade.
Owner Mark Cuban is never shy to make any sort of trade.
With the West constantly getting better, Dallas was one of the few teams that did nothing.
Caron Butler and his huge expiring contract was rumored to be on the move before the deadline. For whatever reason, Cuban could not pull off a trade.
The Mavericks have been impressive this year, but it's hard to imagine they have enough to win it all this year with the current roster.
Don't be surprised if the Mavs go after a veteran via free agency. After all, Cuban is still their owner.
1. Chicago Bulls
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The Bulls definitely needed to make a trade before the deadline.
They made it clear they wanted a shooting guard to help out Derrick Rose. For some reason, they didn't do it.
Courtney Lee, J.R. Smith and Anthony Parker were all names the Bulls were supposedly going after.
They did complete a very minor trade in anticipation of acquiring a shooting guard. The Bulls traded James Johnson to Toronto for a first-round pick.
Rumors said that the Rockets wanted Omer Asik out of Chicago in order to trade Lee. The Bulls wouldn't budge on trading Asik, so now they are stuck without a threat from shooting guard.
Expect the Bulls to regret not trading for one of those shooting guards.
The playoffs will come around and Rose won't have a legitimate three-point shooter to pass the ball out to.
Sorry Chicago, you are the No. 1 team that needed to make a trade and didn't.
