The Bulls and the NBA trade deadline: 6 names to watch as Chicago looks for answers

No player on the Chicago Bulls’ roster is untouchable.

Consider that a reminder to the franchise’s front office rather than its frustrated fan base. It’s a message Bulls management must comprehend as the NBA’s Feb. 6 trade deadline nears.

Led by executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas, the Bulls have allowed the last three deadlines to pass without doing anything. They could have been buyers and attempted to improve their roster but didn’t. They could have tried selling and netting the organization future assets but chose pseudo continuity.

Their last deadline-day move occurred on March 25, 2021, when the franchise acquired Nikola Vučević from the Orlando Magic and, in a separate deal, Daniel Theis, Javonte Green and Troy Brown Jr.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that the Bulls have been mired in mediocrity ever since, a run-of-the-mill franchise that can’t concoct a fruitful path forward. Chicago is 176-189 since Karnišovas took over as the Bulls’ chief basketball executive in 2020. With only one winning season in that span — and the franchise on pace for another losing record this season — the Bulls are the embodiment of average.

That’s been Chicago’s penance for failing to choose a path and committing to it. Retooling with back-end players to remain marginally competitive was never a direction, and if the Bulls stand pat at the deadline for a fourth straight season, it will be a massive indictment that they’re not even trying to figure it out.

Chicago has lost eight of its last 11 games and sits in 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings. Four of the Bulls’ final five games before the trade deadline are on the road, and leading scorer Zach LaVine will miss the next handful because of personal reasons, per coach Billy Donovan.

The Bulls could be 10 games below .500 at the deadline. Then what?

Chasing a third-straight Play-in Tournament appearance, with the potential upside being a likely first-round thumping by the Boston Celtics or Cleveland Cavaliers, makes little sense. Meanwhile, every win the Bulls notch puts their first-round draft pick in greater danger of being conveyed to the San Antonio Spurs as compensation for the DeMar DeRozan trade.

There’s only one choice for the Bulls, and that’s to treat the trade deadline like a closeout sale: “Everything must go!”

A seventh championship in Chicago has never felt more distant thanks to the decaying state of the franchise.

Attempts to accelerating this reclamation process through bold acquisitions of Vučević, DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso didn’t work. All that did was land the Bulls one playoff win. Overpaying to retain players — LaVine, Vučević and Patrick Williams being extended in consecutive offseasons — also hasn’t panned out. And top-flight free agents annually skip over Chicago, because the Bulls can’t afford them because of salary-cap constraints.

The best way for the Bulls to get off their perpetual hamster wheel is by doing the one thing they’ve adamantly opposed: start over.

Excluding the Caruso-Josh Giddey trade, Karnišovas has developed a reputation for being an impossible negotiator in trade talks. He covets his players to the point of overvaluing them, and to relinquish them, he demands a steep price that rivals have been unwilling to pay.

Another opportunity has arrived for Karnišovas to show some creativity. He’s built a roster lined with serviceable, not spectacular, players. In the right setting, every player on the Bulls roster might be an effective performer. In Chicago, however, the pieces just don’t fit.

Yet there are a half-dozen Bulls players who opposing teams might want in their organizations. Though the reasons vary, the Bulls should entertain calls on all six. The recipe for a return is a tried-and-true formula: promising young players (ideally who can shoot and play defense) and draft capital.

Karnišovas and the Bulls are no longer in a position to hold out for a sweetheart deal. This is one of the last chances Chicago has to convert coveted players from their ineffective nucleus into prolonged assets it can build with into the future.

It’s time for Karnišovas and the Bulls to make some tough decisions.

Here’s a look at the six Bulls who have the most trade value and why their individual circumstances warrant trades. (Note: the list is in alphabetical order.)

Lonzo Ball | Position: Guard | Contract status: Final year, $21.4 million

Ball is the NBA’s comeback story of the year after missing 2 1/2 seasons with a career-threatening left knee injury. He’s appeared in only 27 games and remains on a 25-minute restriction, but he might be the Bulls’ most impactful player. Ball leads the team in plus-minus, with the Bulls having outscored opponents by 78 points when he’s been on the court. Only two other rotation players, LaVine and rookie Matas Buzelis, have a positive plus-minus.

Ball’s 3-point shooting, individual and team defense, rebounding and passing remain strengths. In 12 January contests, he’s averaging 9.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and two steals in 23.9 minutes per game. His offensive game is predominately perimeter-oriented as he attempts only one shot per game inside the 3-point arc. Ball is shooting 37.2 percent on 6.5 3s per game in January. He clearly can help a contender.

If the Bulls don’t intend to re-sign Ball this summer, there is no point in keeping him past the deadline. Instead, they can extend his value by turning his expiring contract into another asset. Of course, a team needs to absorb Ball’s remaining salary and send the Bulls compensation, which could complicate trade discussions if rivals deem Ball to be attainable for less in free agency. A motivated team, however, would want to bring in Ball now to acquire his Bird rights, which permits teams to exceed the salary cap to re-sign him.

Ball, 27, seeks a long-term contract as he resurrects his career. The Bulls aren’t at a place where they need Ball, and committing money to retain him given his ongoing recovery isn’t the best use of resources.

Ayo Dosunmu | Position: Guard | Contract status: One year left, $7.5 million

In his fourth season, Dosunmu has blossomed into the ultimate utility player. He plays both guard spots and brings tenacious defense, transition scoring, dutiful rebounding and a splash of leadership. He’s playing on one of the league’s value contracts — and that might not be the case for much longer.


Ayo Dosunmu brings tenaciousness to the Bulls, but does the franchise see him as a valuable trade option? (Kelley L Cox / Imagn Images)

Dosunmu, 25, will be in the final year of his contract next season. He’s due for a healthy raise, but the Bulls must be careful. They can’t fall in love with the feel-good story — the Chicago kid who became a fan favorite for his hometown team — and overpay once again. Dwyane Wade benefited financially from the Bulls’ hometown bump. So did Jabari Parker. Jevon Carter, too.

What the Bulls must decipher is how much better Dosunmu can get. He has ample room to grow, and he likely will. If his perimeter shooting hadn’t betrayed him this season, he’d look like a no-brainer for an extension. But it’s hard to envision Dosunmu on a championship-caliber team as more than an impactful sixth man. The problem for the Bulls is they need to nail down a new quality set of starters before building out their bench.

Zach LaVine | Position: Guard | Contract status: Two years left, $95 million

LaVine has done all the right things in what’s been a bounce-back season. He appeared in only 25 contests last season because of a foot injury. But he’s looked like the best version of himself at times this season.

LaVine is averaging 24 points while shooting 51.1 percent from the field and 44.6 percent on 7.3 3-point attempts per game. He’s picked up his defense following the departures of Caruso and space-eating center Andre Drummond, often guarding the other team’s best scorer. And he’s altered his game to fit the Bulls’ preferred style of play: faster, more decisive and more 3s. It still, however, hasn’t led to winning.

After eight seasons in Chicago, it looks like winning isn’t in the cards for LaVine with the Bulls. Holding out for a haul on the trade market is only prolonging the Bulls’ stay in basketball purgatory. A salary dump with the goal of charting a new course wouldn’t be a bad strategy. It prevents the Bulls from doing what they’ve previously balked at — attaching additional assets to a LaVine trade — and acquiring second-round picks is better than possessing no draft picks. The picks don’t have to be used. They can become a part of the Bulls’ trade capital.

The Bulls love having at least one star on their roster. They know it’s good for business. It’s just not the best for building a winning culture.

Nikola Vučević | Position: Center | Contract status: One year left, $21.5 million

Vučević has been one of the league’s most consistent performers throughout his Bulls tenure, and he’s playing at an All-Star level this season. After shooting 29 percent from 3-point range last season, Vooch has connected on 40 percent from that distance in 2024-25. His shooting has garnered attention from teams in need of a stretch big.


Nikola Vučević (9) has been one of Chicago’s most consistent players of the 2024-25 season. (Troy Wayrynen / Imagn Images)

The Bulls, perhaps more specifically Karnišovas, love Vučević’s all-around impact. He’s also a decent low-post scorer, terrific passer, solid rebounder and proficient foul shooter. His lateral quickness and rim protection on defense are limitations, and on the defensively challenged Bulls, his mistakes are more noticeable.

Vučević, 34, is the oldest player on the Bulls. His presence isn’t just felt on the court but also in the locker room. He demonstrates on a daily basis to the Bulls’ young players what it means to be a pro. He’s just not in the team’s long-term plans. At this stage of his career, he can’t be. That makes Vučević an obvious candidate to be traded — either before the deadline or this summer.

Coby White | Position: Guard | Contract status: One year left, $12.9 million

The predicament the Bulls are in with Dosunmu? Multiply it times five with White, who is a starter, more accomplished and in line to receive a more lucrative extension.
White is on track to take a similar jump in pay as LaVine did when he went from $19.5 million in 2021-22 to $37 million the next season. It’s almost impossible for performance to keep pace with that level of inflation. LaVine quickly went from exceeding expectations on a bargain contract to being unable to play hero while on a bloated contract. The Bulls are dangerously close to repeating history.

White is a talented player, and when he has an off shooting night, it’s no big deal. He’s still the third scoring option. Soon, he could be paid and expected to perform like a No. 1 option. The Bulls should know as well as any franchise all that comes with heightened expectations.

Patrick Williams | Position: Forward | Contract status: Four years left, $72 million

An underwhelming fifth season took another turn when Williams was demoted to a reserve role in Monday’s home win against the Denver Nuggets. Williams actually excelled off the bench, scoring 11 points with eight rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes. His performance, however, only cranked the volume on questions of whether Williams fits better off the bench.

Williams also didn’t do himself any favors when, after a two-point performance in a home loss to the Philadelphia 76ers last Saturday, he declared, “I got game.” But he showed Saturday that he remains a useful player as a versatile defender, spot-up shooter and secondary playmaker. At only 23, Williams also has a long runway for development.

The question is whether Williams will unlock all his gifts with the Bulls. He’s laboring through a career-worst season, averaging 9.2 points on 37.2 percent shooting, and at times he plays like he needs a change of scenery.

The biggest challenge for the Bulls could be finding a taker willing to commit to Williams’ contract now. He’s in the first year of a five-year, $90 million extension the Bulls gave him last summer. He’s another example of a player whose pay has exceeded his production. Williams’ contract still could be team-friendly, but he must first escape the funk in which he’s landed.

He’s talented enough to manufacture a breakout season. Long-suffering Bulls fans can only hope it doesn’t happen someplace else.

(Top photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)



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