Getty Javonte Green #24, Chicago Bulls
At 14-18 and 11th overall in the Eastern Conference standings, the Chicago Bulls could potentially be facing a rebuild. While many around the NBA continue to speculate that the Bulls will start over, one team that’s keeping their eyes on Javonte Green is the one team that originally sent him to the Bulls in the first place: the Boston Celtics.
An Eastern Conference executive told Sean Deveney that the Celtics are not only keeping their eye on Green but that they also regretted trading him to the Bulls back in 2021 when they traded him along with Daniel Theis at the NBA Trade Deadline.
“They lost Javonte Green because they had to give up Daniel Theis to get under the tax. I think they always regretted having to lose him. He is a perfect kind of role player for them—he can play a bunch of positions, he defends, he hustles, and he is cheap. They’re definitely keeping an eye on him,” the exec told Deveney.
In 25 games this season, Green is averaging 5.9 points and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 58.3 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from three.
Green Involved in Proposed Trade
Heavy Sports’ Jack Simone proposed a trade between the Bulls and Phoenix Suns that would involve sending Green to the Suns. This is the outline of Simone’s trade.
Bulls receive: Ayton
Suns receive: Nikola Vucevic, Alex Caruso, Javonte Green, 2026 1st-Round Pick (Lottery Protected)
While the centerpieces of the trade revolve around Ayton and Vucevic, Simone explained why the Suns would take back players like Caruso and Green.
“Caruso’s two-way play could fill in the gaps at the guard position, and Green would give them another option at the forward position alongside Torrey Craig and Cameron Johnson (once healthy),” Simone said.
Simone explained why the Bulls would be interested in someone like Ayton.
“He’s been putting up solid numbers for Phoenix this year, and if given enough freedom, he could grow into something more. The big man has appeared in 28 of the team’s 32 games this year and is playing 28.9 minutes per contest. Ayton is averaging 17.6 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game on 62.4% shooting from the field and 33.3% shooting from beyond the three-point arc,” Simone said.
At the moment, there have been no current rumors surrounding the Suns looking into trading Ayton, but that could change when he becomes trade eligible on January 15, 2023.
Bulls Could Start Rebuild
An Eastern Conference executive told Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney that, if the Bulls decide to blow up their squad, it’s likelier that they will start a rebuild this season while continuing it during the offseason.
“A full rebuild kind of thing, that is not going to happen this year, but they could get started on it,” the exec told Deveney. “They’re not going to trade away Zach LaVine during the season. They will have an easier time with moving on from DeMar DeRozan if that is where they go, but even that, it is something they would wait until the summer to do rather than try to pull off a move at the deadline.”
The Bulls have won three games in a row, so things are starting to look up for them. If the good times continue, then it’s hard seeing the Bulls blowing it up, but if this recent stretch of winning play is merely a facade, the pressure to rebuild will only mount.