Getty Head coach Billy Donovan of the Chicago Bulls.
The Chicago Bulls got a big win over the Charlotte Hornets.
They didn’t secure any sort of playoff or even Play-In Tournament spot, and the win came against a depleted Hornets squad. But they did win with Zach LaVine back in the lineup. He missed 17 games with a foot injury.
The Bulls went 10-7 without him. They had not won with him in the lineup since November 18 against the Miami Heat. And they were riding a five-game losing streak when he went down. Still, they are clinging to the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference standings. They could still be in line for a significant shakeup.
“The Nets are aiming to improve their roster around Mikal Bridges … and they need more perimeter scoring punch,” wrote Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report on January 7.
Bulls get:
– Noah Clowney
– Spencer Dinwiddie
– Dorian Finney-Smith
– 2026 second-round pick
– 2028 second-round pick
Nets get:
– Zach LaVine
“The Bulls have yet to signal their willingness for a lengthy rebuild, so they might be open to bringing back plug-and-play pieces like Finney-Smith and Dinwiddie,” Buckley continued. “They’d also leave this swap with a few assets for the future in the two second-rounders and Clowney, a 19-year-old who was taken 21st overall last June.”
Nets Trade Package Could Help Bulls
Clowney is a 6-foot-10 power forward from the University of Alabama.
He is averaging 7.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in just 27 minutes split between two appearances with the Nets this season. But Clowney averaged 13.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, and 1.7 assists in 13 appearances in the G League Showcase Cup.
Clowney is also averaging 17.7 points, 8.0 boards, 2.0 blocks, and 1.0 assists while shooting 50% on 2.0 triples per game in three regular-season appearances with the Long Island Nets.
Up and Over for Noah Clowney 🔥
Dinwiddie, 30, is averaging 14.0 points, 6.4 assists, and 3.9 rebounds this season.
A former Windy City Bull, he has spent time with the Detroit Pistons and Dallas Mavericks. This is his second stint with the Nets, and it even featured a 15-game stretch in which he averaged double-digit assists. He is in the final year of a three-year, $54 million contract.
Finney-Smith, 30, is in the second year of a four-year, $55.6 million contract that has a $15.4 million player option in the final season.
He is averaging 9.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists this season, shooting 41.1% from deep.
The duo of Dinwiddie and Finney-Smith are on deals worth $109.5 million combined. But this deal would shave nearly $3 million off the books for the Bulls. And there is even more flexibility with Dinwiddie on an expiring contract.
Proposal Falls Short of Bulls’ Rumored Asking Price for Zach LaVine
The biggest hurdle this proposal would face is the lack of a first-round pick. NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson reported on the Bulls’ range of desired outcomes, and both of them included a first-round pick.
“One league source said the Bulls would be focused on getting a good young player, multiple first-round picks and salary filler if they decide to trade LaVine,” Johnson wrote on June 19. “Another said one first-round pick and an established, high-end player might be sufficiently intriguing.”
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The Bulls have been met with a quiet trade market for the two-time All-Star. Perhaps that would have forced their hand into lowering their asking price had they struggled in LaVine’s return.
A front office that has shown patience to this point could continue on that path now, though.