Chicago Bulls Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bulls Notes: Buzelis, White, LaVine, Ball

January 20th, 2025 at 10:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis has committed to the Slam Dunk Contest at NBA All-Star Weekend, joining Spurs guard Stephon Castle as the two players confirmed to participating in the event so far, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports.

Buzelis is the first Bulls player since Tyrus Thomas in 2007 to commit to the dunk contest. He’ll be the fifth Bulls player to participate in the contest, joining Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan, Orlando Woolridge and Thomas, Chris Kwiecinski of Fox23Chicago.com relays.

We have more on the Bulls:

Coby White is scheduled to have imaging done on his injured right ankle on Tuesday during an off day in Los Angeles, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network tweets. White came up limping in the late going of Sunday’s loss to Portland, Johnson adds in another tweet.
Zach LaVine carried an upbeat attitude into the season and it’s reflected in his play, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times writes. LaVine came into Monday’s contest against the Clippers averaging 28.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game in January. He has also been a positive influence off the court, according to coach Billy Donovan. “He’s been great in the locker room, he’s been great off the court, he’s been great with our guys,” Donovan said. “I can’t tell you there’s been numerous times this year where he’s come into my office and said to me, ‘Hey, I feel like this player is struggling a little bit. Is there anything I can talk to them about?'”
With White and Ayo Dosunmu out (injury management) on Monday, Lonzo Ball received his second start of the season, the team tweets. Ball, who is on an expiring contract, was making his 23rd appearance this season after missing two-and-a-half seasons due to knee issues.

Warriors May Wait Until Summer To Pursue Major Trade

January 20th, 2025 at 11:02am CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors may be active on the trade market before the deadline, but they’re not expected to pursue a major deal until the offseason, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Two Western Conference executives who talked to Youngmisuk believe Golden State will save its most valuable trade pieces for the summer in hopes of a making significant move.

For now, a more likely target is Bulls center Nikola Vucevic, who would provide a second reliable scorer to team with Stephen Curry. Vucevic is making $20MM, and the Warriors hope they might be able to land him in exchange for expiring deals. Both rival executives expect the team to continue exploring its options until closer to February 6, rather than making a deal right away.

Youngmusik points out that Golden State’s top trade pieces are Andrew Wiggins‘ $26MM contract, along with young players Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski. More likely to be moved now are the expiring contracts of Gary Payton II ($9.13MM) and Kevon Looney ($8MM), along with draft assets (the Warriors have three tradable first-round picks and two second-rounders.

Youngmisuk reveals that CEO Joe Lacob met with general manager Mike Dunleavy to discuss the team’s options after a January 7 loss to Miami. One rival executive described the team as “frustrated” as it has fallen down the standings after a 12-3 start.

The executives also told Youngmisuk that if the Warriors aren’t in a better position by the trade deadline, they might consider some cost-cutting deals to reduce the size of their tax bill. Youngmisuk adds that Golden State typically isn’t active around the deadline, with only two significant trades during the Curry era.

Curry, who has been playing through thumb and knee pain this season, said he can accept a quiet deadline as long as he knows the front office is making an effort to improve the roster.

“[We’re] trying to be a realistic threat in a playoffs series,” he said. “If Mike calls and says, ‘Hey, this is an opportunity to do X, Y, Z,’ I give my opinion. My hope is that [if there’s no action at the deadline], it’s not because of a lack of effort. If we don’t have a chance to get better, my whole thing is I want to win, and whatever that means, all efforts are pointed towards that, then I can kind of live with whatever happens.”

The Warriors tried to get involved in major deals last summer, making offers for Lauri Markkanen before he re-signed with Utah and Paul George before he opted out of his contract with the Clippers. In both cases, it would have meant parting with Kuminga and maybe Podziemski, which Golden State wasn’t ready to do.

They were one of the first teams to make a significant in-season deal, picking up Dennis Schröder from Brooklyn in mid-December, but the veteran guard has struggled badly with his shot and hasn’t been able to stop the team’s long decline. It’s possible that Schröder could be moved again before the deadline.

Curry, Draymond Green and coach Steve Kerr have all made recent public statements cautioning against the dangers of a panic move. They seem content to wait until summer for a roster overhaul if necessary, and in the meantime they’re confident about their postseason chances no matter who they have to face.

“Hundred percent feel like we can beat anybody in a playoff series because we’ve done it,” Curry said. “We have the know-how, and we just want to be able to answer that question with how we’re playing and not imagine. … We’ve been there. We know how to do it. Just feel like we can do it again.”

Central Notes: Bulls, Ball, Pacers, Cavaliers

January 19th, 2025 at 1:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Bulls front office, led by team president Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley, needs to get candid about its roster intentions as the trade deadline nears, opines Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.

As Cowley writes, head coach Billy Donovan, not Karnisovas or Eversley, has been compelled to answer reporters’ questions about Chicago’s long-term plans. The team occupies something of a no-man’s land for now. After trading DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso over the summer but retaining many talented veterans and bringing in Josh Giddey, the Bulls are in more or less the same terrain they were in last year.

At 18-24, the Bulls are the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference. They finished at No. 9 last season and were eliminated in the play-in tournament. They’re competent enough to at least be in the postseason conversation again, but are likely to miss the playoffs proper for the third straight season while still being at risk of losing their top-10 protected 2025 first round-pick.

Cowley suggests that Karnisovas owes reporters and fans a frank discussion of his intentions moving forward with the team.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

It may be time for the NBA to revive its Comeback Player of the Year award, in part to reward players like Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball, posits Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. The award lasted for six seasons before the league ultimately replaced it with its Most Improved Player honor. Ball overcame formidable odds to return from a two-and-a-half-year, three-surgery layoff, once again becoming a consistent contributor for Chicago.
The Pacers have a long-term decision to make about the fate of their fifth starter, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Reserve wing Bennedict Mathurin performed admirably while filling in for injured starter Aaron Nesmith, who returned to action this week. Nesmith reclaimed his starting spot on Thursday on a minutes limit while Mathurin served a one-game suspension; Mathurin took it back on Saturday a 115-102 victory against Philadelphia. Nesmith has yet to play more than 11 minutes in either of his first two games back, and Dopirak predicts that, until he can reliably play 30 minutes a night, Mathurin will continue to start. Dopirak takes a look at what each player can bring to the table as a starter.
The standout Cavaliers have earned an “A-plus” grade midway through their 2024/25 season, opines Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber exclusive). Cleveland is the top seed in the East, sporting a 35-6 record, and looks like it could send three or even four players to the All-Star Game next month. Under new head coach Kenny Atkinson, the team appears to have taken a leap and become a true-blue title contender.

Bulls Looking To Trade Patrick Williams

January 18th, 2025 at 7:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas has decided to explore trade opportunities involving Patrick Williams, a source tells Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.

The 23-year-old power forward has experienced a decline in production during his fifth NBA season, averaging 9.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per night through 32 games while shooting career lows from the field (37.7%) and three-point range (36.2%).

Williams has been viewed as a project since Chicago selected him with the fourth pick in the 2020 draft. The source tells Cowley that Williams “hasn’t been easy to work with,” explaining that his attitude has been fine, but he hasn’t been comfortable enough with his role to buy into what the coaches are telling him.

Cowley explains that assistant coaches are typically assigned to certain players, and there have been “frustrations” on both sides with some of Williams’ matchups. Director of player development Peter Patton has taken over those duties this season, Cowley adds, and it seemed as though Williams was responding when he averaged 11.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in November.

However, through nine games in January, Williams’ numbers are down to 6.6 PPG and 2.6 RPG. Head coach Billy Donovan has been reducing his playing time and he was on the court for just 17 minutes in Friday’s home loss to Charlotte, finishing the game with five points, no rebounds and a -17 plus/minus rating.

“I don’t want to use the word concerned, but I think Patrick’s heart is in a really good place as it relates to our team, and I think he really wants to do well,” Donovan told reporters after the game. “I think the one thing he will continue to get better at, and I think I mentioned to you guys that in closeouts, and I think the next iteration, the next part of it, at least offensively, is going to end up being, ‘What are the ones I need to go in and finish, what are the ones I need to spray out? And when I do spray it out, taking care of the ball?’

“The other part of it too, for our team, we need more rebounding from him. I think he’s made the effort to try and go there, but we probably need to get a little more out of him. But I’m not concerned about him. I know this stretch for him has not been good, but he has had moments where he has been pretty good. I think he does work, I think he’s a good player. He’s up in a tough stretch right now. He’s still going through a maturation process offensively.”

The decision to trade Williams comes roughly six months after the Bulls re-signed him to a five-year, $90MM contract. As Cowley notes, Williams was a restricted free agent last summer, so Karnisovas could have let him seek an offer from a rival team and then decide whether it was in his best interest to match it. Instead, he rewarded Williams with a long-term deal that will pay him $18MM each season, including a player option for 2028/29. Given Williams’ recent production, there may not be many teams willing to take on that contract without an incentive attached.

Williams becomes the latest rumored trade candidate ahead of what could be an active deadline in Chicago. The Bulls are reportedly also looking to move Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and possibly Lonzo Ball.

Central Notes: Bulls, Mobley, Sheppard, Nesmith

January 17th, 2025 at 1:25pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Bulls held a team meeting following their loss to the shorthanded Hawks on Wednesday, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic, who says that defeat at the hands of Atlanta encapsulated everything that’s gone wrong this season, including turnovers, poor shooting and being out-rebounded.

“We focus on the wrong things,” center Nikola Vučević said. “We have to understand that it’s the details that make the difference at this level.”

The Bulls are in a similar place to where they’ve been for the past few seasons. At 18-23, they just missed out on having the same record through the first half of the season for the fourth time in five years. Chicago was 19-22 in three of the past four seasons.

According to Mayberry, questions are swirling about the team’s February plans, as they haven’t made a deadline deal in any of the last three years.

We have more from the Central Division:

Cavaliers center Evan Mobley is enjoying a career year, which has included extending his range and efficiency beyond the arc, Joe Vardon of The Athletic writes. Mobley is shooting a career-high 42.1% on three-pointers and has more than doubled his attempts per game. “I don’t know what his work routine looked like (last season), I have no idea,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “But what I see right now is that a big part of his player-development plan and on-court work is dedicated to the 3-point shot. And then with that three-point shooting comes close-out offense … [defenses] start to close out [on Mobley].“
After missing 14 games due to an injury, Pacers wing Ben Sheppard is back in Rick Carlisle‘s rotation for the Pacers. “Once he’s been back healthy, the thing that we love about him is he plays the same way,” Carlisle said within a feature on Sheppard by Spencer Davies of RG.org. “He plays fast, he goes hard, he’s very conscientious defensively. Offensively, he runs, moves the ball and plays to his strengths. So he’s a guy that’s important to us.”
Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith missed 35 games this year with an ankle injury, but he picked up right where he left off in a double-digit win over the Pistons, Dustin Dopirak of IndyStar writes. “He’s going to go out there and try to rebound everything and be a menace out there,” teammate Myles Turner said. In his return game on Thursday, Nesmith scored nine points in as many minutes as a starter.

Trade Rumors: Bigs, Hornets, Raptors, Cavaliers

January 16th, 2025 at 3:28pm CST by Rory Maher

Of the four in-season trades already completed in 2024/25, two largely revolved around centers. More big men could be on the move prior to the February 6 trade deadline.

According to NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer (Substack link), the Jazz are “actively exploring the market” for forward/center John Collins. The same is true of the Wizards and Jonas Valanciunas, though a recent report stated that Washington wouldn’t simply ship him off to the highest bidder.

League sources also tell the authors that the Bulls have welcomed trade calls on Nikola Vucevic for “weeks.”

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype recently reported that the Warriors have checked in on all three of the aforementioned players.

Here are some more trade rumors from Stein and Fischer:

After trading Nick Richards to the Suns, head of basketball operations Jeff Peterson said the Hornets will continue to “listen to everything” in order to build a sustainable contender. Josh Green, Cody Martin and Vasilije Micic are among the other Hornets who could be on the trade block, according to Stein and Fischer, who report that Charlotte is open to discussing second-year guard Nick Smith Jr. as well.
Veteran swingman Bruce Brown has been viewed as a trade candidate since he was acquired by the Raptors last year, but he remains on Toronto’s roster for now. It’s possible his $23MM expiring contract — and the fact that he has missed most of the season while recovering from offseason knee surgery — has been a roadblock in trade talks, but that may not be true for Chris Boucher, whose $10.8MM expiring deal is described by Stein and Fischer as “very movable.”
The Cavaliers signed Jarrett Allen to a three-year, $91MM extension on August 2. The timing of that deal wasn’t a coincidence — Cleveland insisted on the agreement being finalized before Aug. 6, so Allen would be trade-eligible before the deadline (Feb. 2). However, the former All-Star center is (unsurprisingly) not available in trade talks, in part due to the team’s league-best record. Aside from Allen, Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, who are all off limits, the Cavs have been “listening to pitches” on other players but are “generally reluctant” to mess with the team’s chemistry, per Stein and Fischer.
“Good” second-round picks — selections that land in the early 30s — are believed to be at a premium in trade talks, in part due to the restrictions of the new tax aprons, Stein and Fischer add.

Scotto’s Latest: Warriors, Vucevic, Centers, Connaughton, Suns

January 16th, 2025 at 12:24pm CST by Luke Adams

After telling reporters earlier this week that he doesn’t want the Warriors to make a “desperate” trade that compromises the team’s long-term future for short-term gain, Stephen Curry clarified on Wednesday that his comments don’t mean he’s content playing on a .500 team that’s not trying to improve.

“Anyone who thinks I’m OK being on an average basketball team is insane,” Curry said, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “Take whatever I said, I still stand on it. But that doesn’t mean we’re not in a situation where we are trying to get better, make appropriate moves that help you do that. (General manager) Mike (Dunleavy Jr.) knows that. We’ve talked about it. That’s the expectation from me. It doesn’t mean you’re reckless.”

As Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports, Dunleavy and the Warriors are indeed exploring their options on the trade market, with a focus on upgrades in the frontcourt rather than on the wing. Golden State has looked into centers like Nikola Vucevic, John Collins, Jonas Valanciunas, and Robert Williams, according to Scotto, who says the odds of the team making a trade for a forward like Jimmy Butler or Cameron Johnson have decreased.

While the Warriors want to give Curry and Draymond Green a chance to compete for another title, they won’t mortgage their future to make it happen, Scotto writes, adding that the front office still remains reluctant to part with forward Jonathan Kuminga.

Here’s more from Scotto:

Following up on the trade market for centers, Scotto says some NBA executives believe the Bulls could land a first-round pick in a deal for Vucevic, who is having a strong season in Chicago. The Wizards and Trail Blazers are expected to command second-rounders for Valanciunas and Williams, respectively, while Collins’ value is hard to pin down, Scotto notes, given the $26.6MM player option the Jazz big man holds for 2025/26.
Rival executives who spoke to Scotto are monitoring Bucks wing Pat Connaughton as a trade candidate, since Milwaukee could duck below the second tax apron and create more roster flexibility by moving off of his $9.4MM salary. Connaughton is having a down year and holds a $9.4MM player option for ’25/26, so the Bucks would have to attach draft picks and/or cash to move off of him. While the Bucks can’t trade cash as long as they remain above the second apron, they could do so in a trade that moves them below that threshold.
After trading for Nick Richards, the Suns are expected to continue gauging Jusuf Nurkic‘s trade market and trying to figure out a Butler deal as they seek out win-now upgrades, Scotto writes. Scotto points out that role players Royce O’Neale and Grayson Allen would both have positive value as trade chips, but there has been no indication that Phoenix would have interest in moving either player.

Bulls Notes: LaVine, Ball, Williams, Donovan

January 15th, 2025 at 11:05pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Although Bulls swingman Zach LaVine is in the midst of a career year, the two-time All-Star’s teammates feel he is getting short shrift from national media and fans, writes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune.

“I don’t understand it,” guard Lonzo Ball said. “(He’s) definitely a top-three shooting guard in the NBA right now. I don’t understand why people talk down on him. He’s a true professional.”

Bulls guard Coby White, LaVine’s longest-tenured Chicago teammate, believes LaVine’s excellence has been under-appreciated for the entirety of their partnership.

“He’s been overlooked since I’ve been here,” White told Poe.

LaVine is shooting with remarkable efficiency as the top scorer on the 18-23 Bulls. Through 36 games, the 29-year-old is averaging 23.8 points per game on a .516/.455/.807 slash line. He’s also chipping in 4.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 0.9 steals per night.

Poe notes that Chicago has had just three games on national television this year, which could be partly to blame for why LaVine has been somewhat unheralded in 2024/25.

“Unfortunately, sometimes it’s out of sight, out of mind,” head coach Billy Donovan said. “When guys are not necessarily out there all the time, it’s hard. You’re not really watching them or seeing them or thinking about them.”

There’s more out of Chicago:

Ball, meanwhile, has been impressive in his first healthy stretch since 2021/22, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Following three surgeries to address a recurring knee issue, he is finally back in action for Chicago, on a minutes limit. Cowley notes, however, that Ball is now consistently playing more minutes off the bench. “I didn’t know what to expect [of Ball] because a lot of the workouts that I watched were one-on-one, and I didn’t see him play five-on-five,’’ Donovan said of Ball’s gradual return ahead of the season. ‘‘I got pretty optimistic when training camp started. I was able to see he was running and doing the things he was doing. He [just] needed to get his timing back.”
Bulls forward Patrick Williams has been only sporadically available to Donovan this season. When Williams does hit the floor, the head coach wants to see steadier production from the fifth-year wing out of Florida, Cowley notes in another Sun-Times story. “My expectations for him, even in my conversations with him, is, and this is going to be kind of a broad statement, but you got to feel him out there,” Donovan said. “That’s not necessarily scoring. He’s shot the ball pretty well. You gotta feel him on the glass, feel him in transition, feel him with the activity with his hands, feel him at the rim. That. I think he’s capable of doing that. That’s really been the message more than anything else, of him getting his body size, physicality into the game.”
Williams inked a five-year, $90MM deal as a restricted free agent to stay with Chicago long-term over the summer. On Wednesday, he became trade-eligible.

Bulls’ Ayo Dosunmu Returning From Calf Injury Wednesday

January 15th, 2025 at 5:51pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Bulls head coach Billy Donovan told reporters today that guard Ayo Dosunmu will be back in action for the first time in weeks during Chicago’s Wednesday tilt against the Hawks, per K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link).

As Johnson relays, Dosunmu will be playing under a restriction, and will see no more than 24-to-26 minutes of game action.

The 6’5″ pro hasn’t played since December 23 due to a calf injury. Johnson had reported earlier this week that a Dosunmu comeback Wednesday was possible.

The 25-year-old Illinois alum is one of his hometown Bulls’ stronger two-way options at guard. Through 30 healthy contests this year, including 17 starts, Dosunmu is averaging 12.6 points, 4.8 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 0.8 steals per game. He’s posting shooting splits of .490/.320/.796.

Wednesday’s Atlanta matchup is the second game in a back-to-back slate. On Tuesday, Chicago fell 119-113 to one of the league’s worst teams by record, the 9-32 Pelicans. That dropped the No. 10-seeded Bulls to a middling 18-22 mark on the season.

Veteran guard Lonzo Ball had a big night on Tuesday. He scored 11 points, pulled down eight rebounds, and dished out six dimes in 25 minutes off the bench for Chicago. Johnson notes that Ball, still working his way back from three knee surgeries, will miss the Hawks contest as Chicago continues to monitor him.

NBA Announces New Dates For Nine Games

January 15th, 2025 at 11:25am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA, which recently had to postpone four games as a result of wildfires in Los Angeles and severe weather in Atlanta, has rescheduled three of those contests and announced date changes for six others, the league announced in a press release (Twitter link).

The Hornets/Lakers game that was supposed to be played last Thursday will take place at Crypto.com Arena on February 19, while the Hornets/Clippers game that had been scheduled for last Saturday has been moved to March 16.

Additionally, last Saturday’s Rockets/Hawks that was postponed due to the weather in Atlanta will now be played on January 28 at State Farm Arena.

There’s still no new date for last Saturday’s Spurs/Lakers game, with the NBA indicating that a make-up date for that contest will be announced at a later time.

In order to accommodate the rescheduled games, the NBA has also announced the following tweaks to the schedule:

The Bulls/Clippers game scheduled for January 21 in L.A. has been moved up to Jan. 20.
The Wizards/Jazz game scheduled for Jan. 23 in Utah has been moved back to March 19.
The Jazz/Lakers game scheduled for Feb. 11 in L.A. has been moved up to Feb. 10.
The Wizards/Clippers game scheduled for March 16 in L.A. has been moved up to Jan. 23.
The Wizards/Trail Blazers game scheduled for March 18 in Portland has been moved up to March 17.
The Clippers/Jazz game scheduled for March 19 in Utah has been moved up to Feb. 13.

Despite not being involved in any of last week’s postponed matchups, the Jazz and Wizards will each have three games moved around in order to help minimize back-to-backs and reduce travel.

It’s perhaps not a coincidence that Utah and Washington are among the NBA’s cellar dwellers — the league likely wanted to avoid making schedule changes that would significantly impact teams involved in playoff races.