Stacy Revere/Getty Images Billy Donovan
The Chicago Bulls chose not to add any pieces to their roster at the trade deadline. Some were surprised, considering the lack of depth that the team currently has, that they decided to stand pat.
The Bulls have lost Patrick Williams, Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, and Derrick Jones Jr. for an extended period of time. The injuries have hurt the team, the Bulls are just 11-11 since January 1.
In particular, the Bulls have struggled on the defensive end of the floor and are struggling with a lack of size and frontcourt depth. With those struggles rumors serviced that the team might make a move to address those needs.
Why Didn’t the Bulls Make a Move?
While some might have been surprised the Bulls have said all along how much they like this current team. Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas echoed that statement again on Thursday.
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“I think it reflects that we like this group,” Karnišovas said. “(Head coach) Billy (Donovan) obviously said it all along. We’re just waiting for guys to come back from injuries to get this group together because we had a short sample of 16 games where most of our guys were healthy. That doesn’t include Patrick. In those 16 games, we were top five in offense and defense, so we liked what we looked like when everyone was healthy. Hopefully, we’ll get this group back and see what we can do.”
Ball, Caruso, and Jones are all expected to return within a month or so. Karnisovas also said Thursday that he does expect Williams to return this season, but wouldn’t put a date on his return. According to NBC Sports Chicago, a soft target date of mid-March has been discussed internally for Williams’s return.
While it is encouraging that the Bulls are optimistic that all four injured players will return this season, the team is still shorthanded for the immediate future. While the trade deadline has already passed, the Bulls aren’t out of options to add some depth.
Buyout Market
Reports have suggested that the Bulls will be an active team on the buyout market. One of their reported targets, Marvin Bagley III was traded to the Pistons at the deadline. Many view the move as a possible fresh start for Bagley so now it’s possible he won’t be a buyout candidate.
While that move might have been slightly disappointing to the Bulls, there will still be plenty of options for them to pursue. If the team is looking for help in the frontcourt former Bull Robin Lopez, Paul Millsap, and Tristan Thompson have all been rumored to be possible buyout candidates.
Lopez spent three seasons with the Bulls from 2016 to 2019. He averaged 10.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game during his time in Chicago.
If the Bulls want to add help in the backcourt they could pursue Dennis Schroder, who was rumored to be a possible trade target for the team, before he was traded to the Houston Rockets. Besides Schroder, Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe, and Gary Harris are all possible buyout candidates.
If the Bulls do feel the need to add some depth before they can get healthy it looks like they’ll have options.