The Bulls are trying to get involved in the bidding for Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports said on a podcast on Wednesday.
Neubeck hears that Chicago has been exploring the possibility of moving Zach LaVine in a multi-team deal to see if can get a combination of players and picks in return that would interest Portland. He notes that there were trade rumors circulating around LaVine earlier this summer, but the Bulls have publicly denied that he’s being made available.
Neubeck also admits that Lillard might not be happy on a team like Chicago, where his best teammates would be Nikola Vucevic and DeMar DeRozan. He adds that the Bulls may be the Eastern Conference mystery team in the Lillard race that ESPN’s Marc Spears alluded to earlier this week.
Derek Bodner confirms on the podcast that he has heard the Bulls mentioned in conversations with other reporters, but he calls it a “borderline crazy gamble.” Bodner believes there are teams that should call Lillard’s bluff about not wanting to play anywhere but Miami, such as the Sixers, who could become legitimate title contenders by pairing Lillard with Joel Embiid. However, he’s not convinced that Chicago would have that type of leverage if acquires Lillard.
Rich Hofman says the Bulls are in a desperate position, so a big swing on a Lillard-type deal might be understandable. He adds that team president Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley may have to start worrying soon about their job security, but he doubts Chicago could make a run at a title even with Lillard on the team.
The three writers also considered the possibility of the Sixers making an offer for LaVine, but they agreed that it’s unlikely because of his contract. He’s entering the second season of a five-year, $215MM extension, and his salary will rise from $40MM to $48.9MM over the next four years.
A dude from “Philly” said the Bulls are trying to get involved with Lillard on a podcast, and somebody decided to write a story about it??
And the Bulls want to put Zach LaVine in the package???
And expect this deal to make them a contender despite trading for a player who doesn’t want to be there??? A player who you will ultimately be paying $60+ million per season … in the twilight of his career.
Garbage story.
And so is the “reported” Miami trade, but here we are.
Garbage trade.
This dude from Philly is respected larry and knows the game inside and out. Try reading some of his work from Philly voice. Your garbage comments larry are annoying.
Your boy from Philly can be “respected” all you want him to be. I have better sources than he does if I were to choose to use them. I made my living in my previous life off basketball. I was one of the most connected dudes in the industry. I have personally dealt with most of these guys. I can call Mark Bartelstein. I have assisted him with players in the past. Austin Brown, head of basketball for CAA, have helped him with multiple players as well. Look up Dave Spahn, an agent at CAA, he is c0-agent with Aaron Mintz for Tyrese Haliburton. Dave’s first job in life was working for me. I can call this dude up and get whatever info I want. No reason to do it anymore because I am out of the game.
I personally witnessed the very beginning of both Shams and Taylor Rooks …. While they were in college. It all went down in Chicago.
Shams was a college student at Loyola writing for RealGm.com. An agent starting feeding him stories. He got enough info that he got picked up because he had an agent who was giving him his info first.
Taylor Rooks was writing for a recruiting website at University of Illinois. She started getting recruiting scoops because once players started talking to her, they didn’t want to talk to anybody else. She got picked up by Big 10 Network then quickly off to TNT. She also has more real information on players than ANYBODY!!! She doesn’t put it out. She knows all the behind the scenes with the players.
If you don’t know who Kyle Neubeck and Derek Bonder are and just think of them as “your boys from Philly” then I really question this whole story about you being close with CAA. They are two of the most plugged in people in Philly. They are also from the same group of writers that all came up together with other guys like Jake Fischer. People who are actually plugged in don’t need to brag about it in the comments section of a Hoops Rumors article.
There are no more “plugged” sportswriters. NONE of them have any relationship whatsoever with ANY of the players. If the players have news they want out there, or their side of the story, they just post on social media. None of the players has any Trust or Use for ANY of the sportswriters.
Nobody even reads the newspaper anymore. These dudes don’t read newspapers. The NBA offseason is just dudes like your boys in Philly writing stories that they think fit. They don’t have anything else to work with.
All the information comes from Agents or an NBA Front Office. Woj literally just answers the phone, or gets a text from the front office as soon as the deal is done, or when it is just waiting to be finalized, but expected to be done.
Team sportswriters like your boys in Philly can give you injury updates. Otherwise, nobody is talking to them unless they need to float a story.
One of the last sportswriters who actually had relationships with players was based out of Philly. Stephen A. Smith with the Philadelphia Inquirer. He used to be a guy that players talked to. This goes back maybe 20 years ago. Once they started putting all the sportswriters on television, and Stephen A. got a job on ESPN …. He no longer had any trust with any players, and now doesn’t have a relationship with any either. He just comments on what they do.
Taylor Rooks knows pretty much all the players. She is in their age range. They hang out at the same spots. She don’t talk, but she has all the inside stories.
You are full of it. No one is plugged in? You ignoring the extensive track record of Woj, a CAA client, somehow getting a lot of inside info on CAA represented players? What about Shams with Klutch Sports? What about Ramona and Embiid? Unbelievable, the guy who said he worked for CAA thinks this stuff still doesn’t go on.
Read my man …. Sportswriters are not plugged. Woj and Shams are, which is what i said. Even told u where Shams and Taylor Rooks got started. Read my man …. I said Sportswriters are the dudes without real info.
So why are you writing novels on a rumors message board?
It’s entertainment. I am no longer in the game. Still have time on my hands. Still follow it closely.
No they’re not. Blatant attempt to generate leverage
And your source is…?
Common sense? And realizing that a majority of rumors are driven by purposeful leaks and hot takes? The skill comes in in seeing through the smokescreens.
Maybe this is actually true, but odds are it isn’t. Plus, look at the source here.
It would be a bad deal.
I can see the Bulls moving LaVine because they might want to let White play but trading for an aging star that does not want to play in Chicago is just stupid.
In CHI’s position, I’d certainly swap LaVine for Lillard. Both overpaid guys who can score, and won’t defend. Lillard fits better. As a lead guard, he’s easier to put move versitile defenders on the court around him. He’s also shot his teams to wins in big games.
I wouldn’t spend 10 seconds worrying about where Lillard says he wants to play. If he retires, I still got out from under LaVine’s deal. If he chooses to play, he’ll play hard, hopefully on his own. If he needs incentives, I’d discuss it with him.
Damn Dame’s agent is working overtime…
“Borderline crazy”? I think it’s a bit past “borderline”.
Also, unless Philly deals Maxey, they don’t have the assets to meet the Blazers ask, so the premise of the podcast is moot. Their picks are all low-value, and 2025’s is owed to OKC (top 6 protected). So they’re in almost the same situation as Miami, really.
Completely agree. Plus maxey isn’t going anywhere.
So one bad situation for a worse ran org.
Vuc and Nurk are basically the same
Demar no better than when Dame had CJ or Simon now.
For Portland guess they could have Scoot, Simon, and Lavine play together. That would look better than Scott, Simon, & Herro.
Why !!!!!
It would take more than Zach. Bulls are not ready. They give up too much to get him. Dame only place is Miami.
DeM DeR to Knicks ………. yeeeeEEEeeeeesssss
For?
Al nobody wants to play in New York, I heard Brunson wants out already.
Lillard to Bulls. No story there. LaVine to Sixers, I think that’s a story next offseason, if the Sixers strikeout in FA.
Trade Lillard to Toronto