Bulls' Insider Reveals Insightful Hint To Chicago's Trade Deadline Strategy

Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic released an article a few days ago detailing some of the Bulls' deadline plans, which aren't as exciting as fans hope. With the stumble out of the gate and still sub .500 over 40 games into the season, many have called for Chicago to pick a direction. Either fully rebuild or make some splashes to land them in the postseason. With an injured Lonzo Ball and more disheartening news surfacing with him today, an expired contract following the season for Nikola Vucevic, and a pair of disgruntled all-stars in Zach Lavine and DeMar DeRozan, many thought the chase to retain the traded away top-four protected pick may begin with a roster purge. According to Mayberry, it's looking like the complete opposite.

League Sources Insight

According to several 'league sources' who spoke with The Athletic, the Chicago Bulls are expected to lay low and ride out the rocky start to the season.

"The Expectation is for them to remain relatively quiet,"..."no one expects the bulls to blow it up and commit to a complete rebuilding process."

@DarnellMayberry on Twitter

There has been buzz surrounding the Bulls all season, especially after the implosion in Minnesota nearly a month ago. Alex Caruso, Coby White, DeMar DeRozan, Zach Lavine, Nikola Vucevic, and even Patrick Williams have all been mentioned in various trade scenarios. Still, it would seem the band will stay together after all.

On the flip, names like John Collins, DeAndre Ayton, Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose, and Russell Westbrook have all been thrown out as possible targets for Chicago, should they decide to go 'all-out' for a playoff push at the expense of the future assets. The issues for the Bulls have been made quite obvious thus far, and an inside presence coupled with three-point shooting have been the main culprits. That being said, some cheaper targets may be the way to go if they want to keep most of the roster the same.

Steady Improvement Since "Beyond Embarrassing" Outing Versus Wolves

Immediately following the most abysmal loss of the season for Chicago, they ripped off their first three-game winning streak of the year. Those three wins were all on the road, included three Eastern Conference playoff teams, and featured two teams they had just lost to a week prior. Now standing at 8-4 since they've shown noticeably more effort and pride on the floor, taking down the NBA's longest winning streak against the Nets and ending the 76ers' 11-game home winning streak in the last week. A tremendous help has been the improved play of their trio of all-stars, Vucevic, Lavine, and DeRozan.

After a 'locker room blowup' involving these three primarily, they've each brought their game to a new level and are seeing wins in exchange for the improved play on both ends of the floor.

Vucevic is shooting over 63% from the field and 52% from three, averaging nearly 15 rebounds per contest in January. He's also improved his fourth-quarter shooting up to 19-for-37 from deep, knocking down some of the most clutch shots over the past month for the Bulls.

Lavine is the most significant turnaround of the three, now shooting a hair under a 50/50/92 line in the new year with almost 29 points per game, alongside a team-leading 4.8 assists per contest. For reference, in December, his shooting line was 39/31/82 with only 20 points per game, coupled with fewer assists and rebounds than his January stats.

DeRozan has been the most steady all year, still leading the NBA in clutch time points, still leading the Bulls overall in points and assists per game, all while shooting over 50% from the field, playing the most minutes on the team, and only missing his first game tonight due to injury.

Whether it's the recent success, the 8-2 record against the Celtics, Nets, Bucks, and Heat this season, or their stars finally finding their stride, Chicago will seemingly hold fast at the deadline and not make any dramatic moves. If this roster can stay healthy and continue to play with passion on the defensive side of the ball, they've already proven to compete with the best and could have a magical run in their back pocket. The emergence of Patrick Williams needs to continue, and the energetic defensive wing pieces Alex Caruso and Javonte Green need re-inserted into the lineup. If things go according to plan, the front office might have some validation in riding this squad into the postseason. Should they blow it up, or is there enough justification for staying quiet and letting this team prove its worth?