Andy Lyons/Getty Images PJ Washington
The NBA trade deadline is fast approaching on Thursday and the rumors continue to swirl. While the Chicago Bulls have been relatively quiet about their plans, speculation has continued about what the team might do.
The Bulls have been decimated by injuries this season. Patrick Williams, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso have all missed extended stretches. Ball and Caruso are expected to return in five to six weeks, while Williams could return before the end of the regular season.
Those return times still leave the Bulls shorthanded for the time being. At 33-20, the Bulls are currently in second place in the Eastern Conference, but the standings are so tight their next loss could drop them to fifth. Homecourt advantage could be crucial to the Bulls since they are 19-7 at home so far this season. With that in mind, it could lead the team ultimately to make a move to bolster the roster.
Proposed Trades
One of the weak areas on the Bulls roster is impact post players. Without Williams this season, Nikola Vucevic has been the only interior player consistently giving them good minutes.
According to Heavy.com’s NBA insider Steve Bulpett an intriguing stretch four is available on the trade block.
Meanwhile, Charlotte is still looking for a new home for P.J. Washington. The Celtics got a nice look at him on Wednesday when the sturdy 6-foot-7 forward showed off his range with four 3-pointers. But we’re being told the Hornets want in on Indiana’s Myles Turner.
“Charlotte hasn’t been to the playoffs in years (a first-round loss in 2016), and unless something crazy happens, they’re going to be there this year,” said one league exec. “But going out in the play-in round isn’t going to cut it down there.”
Knowing that Washington is available might entice the Bulls to give the Hornets a call. With the Hornets wanting a center, the Bulls would likely have to get a third team involved in order to land Washington, or perhaps find a way to include Tony Bradley.
There are two obvious teams that the Bulls could reach out to with centers that are reportedly on the trade block, the Indiana Pacers and the San Antonio Spurs.
As Bulpett’s column mentioned, the Hornets want Myles Turner so getting the Pacers involved would make sense. A trade between the three could be focused around Coby White, PJ Washington, and Myles Turner.
Bulls receive: P.J. Washington
Pacers receive: Coby White, Mason Plumlee, protected pick from Charlotte
Hornets receive: Myles Turner
If that deal were to fall through the Bulls could engage the Hornets and Spurs about a similar trade. That deal would send Jakob Poeltl to the Hornets and Coby White to the Spurs.
Bulls receive: P.J. Washington, Tre Jones
Spurs Receive: Coby White, Mason Plumlee, protected picks from Chicago and Charlotte
Hornets receive: Jakob Poeltl, Tony Bradley
Both of those deals would land Washington with the Bulls. This season he’s averaged 9.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 39.9% from three. It also seems like he might be open to a change of scenery.
A source close to the situation tells Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney: “He has pretty much done everything they have asked of him. If he needs to go somewhere else to thrive, that is OK, he will do that.”
Likelihood of a Deal
While there have been no reports yet of the Bulls inquiring about Washington, we also know they’ve kept things intentionally quiet. As the pressure mounts, this week and rumors continue to swirl it will be interesting to see what the team does.
With the roster currently so depleted it’s hard to see the Bulls staying near the top of the conference without making a move. Thursday is fast approaching and only time will tell if the team decides to make a move or stand pat.