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The Chicago Bulls weren’t reportedly interested in trading for Rudy Gobert around the NBA Draft. However, according to The Athletic’s Zach Harper, Arturas Karnisovas, and Marc Eversley shut the deal down because the Utah Jazz insisted on Patrick Williams being included in the trade package headed to Salt Lake City.
Instead, the Jazz did the deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who agreed to send four first-round draft picks, a promising rookie (Walker Kessler), and veteran salaries (Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro) to Utah for the former Defensive Player of the Year. Is this a no-deal the Bulls will ultimately regret? One Eastern Conference executive speaking exclusively to Heavy’s Sean Deveney says yes.
East Exec Says Bulls ‘Overvalued’ Patrick Williams
“They’ve overvalued Patrick Williams,” the executive said. “Teams have had an interest in him, and they shut that down pretty fast. I get it; he was (the current front office’s) first pick, and they have a lot invested in him. And he has shown some flashes, they put a lot on his plate from the get-go. But is he going to take that leap? You want to see him play with a little force, you want him to have a presence. That has not been there, and I just think that when you put together a team that is designed to kind of go for it now, then you should go all in. I think they’ll regret the Gobert thing, not putting Williams into a deal there. That would have made them a factor in the East.”
The Bulls’ front office has preached “continuity” this offseason which has been translated as stagnation by many in the team’s fanbase. Still, at some point, it seems the Bulls will need to at the very least, add a veteran power forward to back up Williams.
Is there still an opening for a trade? Yes, the Bulls still appear to have the depth to trade Coby White. With the emergence and expected development of Ayo Dosunmu, the Bulls’ backcourt should be in a good place.
Perhaps White can be flipped for the power forward they need to add some size and toughness to the roster.
Bulls Preseason Schedule Released
On Tuesday, the Bulls’ four-game preseason schedule was released. It begins on October 4 against the New Orleans Pelicans. On October 7, Chicago hosts the Denver Nuggets. They finish the preseason with a road game against the Toronto Raptors and a final home exhibition tilt against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Our preseason schedule dropped 👀
The regular season schedule will be announced in August. However, the Bulls know they will take on the Detroit Pistons at the Accor Arena in Paris, France, on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023. Imagine how big of a deal that game would have been if the native Frenchman Gobert had been dealt to the Bulls.
As it stands, the game is still significant because it will mark the NBA’s return to international play for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the world.
By the time this game rolls around, we should have a good idea if the Bulls’ continuity approach has been successful.