The calls for the Chicago Bulls are growing louder after they dropped their second game in a row, again to the New York Knicks, falling 114-91. The only difference is they didn’t wait for overtime to fall apart this time.
Chicago is now 11-17 and just a half-game ahead of the Washington Wizards who were idle but have been mired in a slide of their own.
There has been resistance from the Bulls’ front office to trading off pieces because that would most likely mean conceding the season. Despite their struggles, they are still just a handful of games out of the sixth-seed currently occupied by the Knicks in an Eastern Conference that is not deep with elite teams.
Now, one of the hottest teams is being pushed to make an overture for Nikola Vucevic.
Vooch Could Help Brooklyn
“The Nets rank 28th in the NBA in total rebounds per game…so that will be a problem they need to address,” argues Ben Stinar of Sports Illustrated’s Fast Break. “Meanwhile, Vucevic is a two-time NBA All-Star who is averaging 16 points and 10.5 rebounds per contest in 28 games this season.”
Bulls Get:
- Nic Claxton
- Joe Harris
- 1st Round Pick
Nets Get:
- Nikola Vucevic
Vucevic recorded a nine-point, eight-rebound outing against the Knicks. It was his fourth straight game with fewer than 10 rebounds and the sixth time in the Bulls’ last eight games.
Chicago is 3-5 overall and 1-1 when he reaches double-digit boards in that span. They are 7-7 on the year when he records at least 10 boards and 4-10 when he doesn’t, highlighting the impact he can have. The Bulls’ net rating is minus-0.3 when he is on the floor and minus-0.2 when he’s off, per Cleaning the Glass.
The Return Package
Claxton is having a career year averaging 11.7 points on 69.6% true shooting with 8.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. He leads the league in overall field goal percentage at 74%. The 23-year-old big man was the 31st overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
The Bulls selected Coby White with the seventh overall pick that year.
Harris has not been the same player following multiple ankle injuries. After shooting no worse than 38.5% from deep in six straight seasons, he is down to 37.3% this year.
That is his lowest mark since his second year in the league and the third-worst of his entire career and comes amid the specter of his $19 million salary next year in what will be his age-32 season. In an ominous sign for the beleaguered Bulls, Harris’ clip from deep would rank fourth in Chicago.
RIM PROTECTION
With a decision looming on Claxton, and Harris’ injury and age concerns, the centerpiece of this hypothetical deal for the Bulls is the draft pick. But, much like the Bulls, previous dealings have left the Nets unable to deal away another first-round pick until 2027.
That is a long way out for the Bulls to take a presumed step back.
Bulls Fighting Reality
The Bulls have shown no interest in getting a contract extension done with Vucevic who is in the final year of his deal. And losing him for nothing after this season would be a disaster, even if he is struggling right along with the team. That puts the Bulls in an even more precarious situation moving forward.
A potentially season-defining month of December has already produced back-to-back overtime losses and a 2-5 record with a four-game road trip looming that concludes with the Knicks in Madison Square Garden.
DeMar DeRozan: “We looked like s**t.”
Agreed with Donovan’s assessment that Bulls succumbed to adversity.
Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports reports the Bulls have taken the position of believing they are a playoff team when healthy and, thus, aren’t looking to sell.
Again, though, circumstances often dictate decisions and the Bulls’ situation is deteriorating.
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Proposed Trade Sends Bulls 23-Year-Old Rim Protector