Chicago Bulls Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Stewart, Theis, Bucks, DeRozan, LaVine, Allen

December 29th, 2022 at 10:28pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Starting Pistons center Isaiah Stewart has emerged as a key leader for a rebuilding 9-28 Detroit team this season, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Edwards notes that the third-year big man, still just 21 years old, has become the team’s de facto main presence with star point guard Cade Cunningham shelved indefinitely.

“I’ve been sitting back and just seeing his growth, his progress on the floor and as a leader,” journeyman Detroit shooting guard Rodney McGruder told Edwards. “He’s being more vocal in the locker room, on the bench, in timeouts and in huddles.”

McGruder has spoken with Stewart about being more careful not to show frustration or disappointment on the court during games.

“For me, personally, that’s another growth step in regards to not showing that body language,” Stewart told Edwards. “I do feel like that kind of helped me in terms of learning how to talk to my teammates. You can talk to a certain teammate a certain way, other teammates you can’t talk to a certain way. That aspect has helped me.”

Through 30 games in 2022/23, Stewart is averaging a career-best 11.7 PPG on .467/.373/.742 shooting splits. He is also pulling down 7.8 RPG and dishing out 1.2 APG.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

The health of reserve Pacers center Daniel Theis appears to be improving as he continues to rehabilitate from a preseason knee scope, notes Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link). The 6’8″ big man was spotted working through on-court shootarounds, per Jeremiah Johnson of Bally Sports Indiana (via Twitter).
The Bucks‘ 139-118 blowout Christmas loss to the Celtics looked a lot like last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Nehm notes that Boston was frequently able to free up All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum for exploitable mismatches on offense. “He had a big night of tough shot-making and, at some point, it’s on me to maybe change it up, give him a different look, but credit to Jayson tonight,” Milwaukee head coach Mike Budenholzer said of Tatum, who scored 41 points in the Celtics’ win.
In Wednesday’s 119-113 overtime Bulls victory over the Bucks, Chicago All-Star DeMar DeRozan took exception to a hard forearm in his back courtesy of Milwaukee shooting guard Grayson Allen, and there was a brief dust-up with play stopped. After the game, both DeRozan and Zach LaVine alluded to Allen’s reputation for borderline plays, per Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago. Though video review indicated that Bulls forward Patrick Williams initially fouled Allen, who then fell into DeRozan, Chicago’s stars remained frustrated. “I didn’t know if it was on purpose or what happened,” DeRozan said. “I just felt a hit. That’s all it was.” LaVine weighed in as well: “We know his (Allen’s) track record. Pat got the foul, but DeMar got elbowed in the back of the head. It is what it is. We made up for it with a big win. DeMar responded the right way. The next 20 minutes, you saw what happened.”

Bulls Notes: Big Three, DeRozan, Green, Caruso

December 27th, 2022 at 12:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

The “Big Three” that the Bulls formed when they traded for Nikola Vucevic and signed DeMar DeRozan to team with Zach LaVine should be considered a “failed experiment,” writes Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. Chicago’s inconsistent play continued Monday night with a home loss to the Rockets, who entered the game with just three road wins.

The Bulls fell to 3-8 against sub-.500 opponents and have lost to a collection of teams at the very bottom of the NBA standings. It was a disappointing performance after three straight road victories, but the players recognize it as a consequence of not being ready to compete from the start, as Houston built an early 23-5 lead.

“At this point, I don’t think it’s surprising,” Patrick Williams said. “I think we’ve shown ourselves when we play the way that we played tonight, this is what happens. So I don’t think it’s surprising. I just think it’s more so a wake-up call. Just because you win three in a row doesn’t mean a team is going to lay down.”

Bulls management hasn’t shown any signs of wanting to break up its Big Three, but the team is facing a limited timetable if it decides to move in that direction. The trade deadline is only about six weeks away, and a decision will have to be made soon on whether to keep Vucevic, who will be a free agent after this season.

There’s more from Chicago:

DeRozan called the Rockets’ hot start “unacceptable” and said the Bulls have to be more focused regardless of their opponent, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “We can’t feel out games,” DeRozan said. “We gotta go out the gate and treat it like it’s the fourth quarter. That’s just how we have to play. We have to be more aware of that.”
Javonte Green warmed up with his teammates Monday night, but he was held out so the medical staff could see how his right knee responded to the pregame routine, according to Annie Costabile of The Chicago Sun-Times. Coach Billy Donovan said Green no longer has the swelling and soreness in the knee that has forced him to miss eight games this month.
Alex Caruso remains in concussion protocol, but his sprained right shoulder is the main issue preventing him from playing, Costabile adds. “He’s gone through a series of concussion-protocol stuff, which he has passed,” Donovan said. “The next part of him passing the concussion protocol is him doing some form of contact.”

DeMar DeRozan Has No Desire To Make Trade Request

December 23rd, 2022 at 10:15pm CST by Rory Maher

Opposing teams might speculate about DeMar DeRozan‘s future intentions, but he has no desire to request a trade from the Bulls.

In response to an article from Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, who cited rival executives that believe DeRozan might make an offseason trade request if the Bulls continue to struggle and do poorly in the playoffs, the five-time All-Star posted a clip on Instagram from the movie “Training Day,” in which Denzel Washington’s character tells Ethan Hawke’s character, “This is a newspaper, right? It’s 90 percent bulls**t, but it’s entertaining. That’s why I read it.”

DeRozan then elaborated on what he meant with the clip, if it wasn’t already clear.

“I take my job as a professional, honestly, and in every type of way,” DeRozan told Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “If I sign up for anything, my goal is to finish whatever I sign up for. That’s with anything in life. I signed up to be a father, not just a part-time father. I treat everything I do that way.

“I mean 14 years in my career, I’ve never talked about a trade, asked for a trade, anything. So when I see something like that [story], I try and make fun of it more than anything.”

DeRozan, who is under contract through 2023/24, “reiterated that he would never request a trade” under any circumstances, according to Cowley. The veteran guard/forward says he wasn’t bothered by the report.

“Obviously when you’re young in the league, don’t know nothing, you hear anything of that nature, and yeah it bothers you because you wonder where it came from,” DeRozan said, per Cowley. “The older I am, hell, I’m going to be honest with you – there’s nothing that bothers me. No he say, she say stuff … now, if my mom was saying some stuff [in the media] that would bother me, but no, don’t nothing bother me.

“We live in a world that’s full of opinionated people, and anyone can come up with something. These days I see fake pages acting like they’re Woj [ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski] or something. I just don’t get caught up in that. But if I’m in the mood, I’ll make fun of something like I did [Thursday].”

The 33-year-old hit a game-winning jumper over the Knicks on Friday night (Twitter video link) to increase the Bulls’ winning streak to three games. They now hold a 14-18 record, the No. 11 seed in the East, but are only three-and-a-half games back of New York, currently the No. 6 seed.

Central Notes: Caruso, LaVine, Markkanen, Allen, Pistons

December 23rd, 2022 at 5:08pm CST by Luke Adams

While much of the trade speculation involving the up-and-down Bulls in recent weeks has revolved around stars like Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic, one Eastern Conference general manager tells Sean Deveney of Heavy.com that veteran guard Alex Caruso shouldn’t be overlooked. Citing sources, Deveney says that multiple teams would be prepared to make offers for Caruso if Chicago becomes a seller and makes him available.

“If things don’t improve, Caruso is the guy most will be looking at in the short term,” the general manager said. “He has good trade value and would get something like 15 interested teams if he were up to be dealt.”

As the GM observes, Caruso’s contract ($9MM this season and two more years worth $19.4MM) is very team-friendly, and he’s the sort of player who could slot into virtually any club’s rotation.

Deveney also spoke to an Eastern Conference executive who believes that LaVine wants to be traded to the Lakers, but that sounds like speculation based primarily on the guard’s ties to UCLA and Klutch Sports and recent reports about possible dysfunction in Chicago.

Here’s more from around the Central:

Lauri Markkanen had intended to lay down roots in Cleveland and admits that the offseason trade sending him from the Cavaliers to the Jazz came as “kind of a shock,” writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). However, Markkanen doesn’t hold any ill will toward his old team. “It was tough at first because we really enjoyed our time (in Cleveland),” Markkanen said. “Had a really fun year last season so it was tough at first. But then settled in and see the opportunity with Utah. Understanding the business, I know there’s always a chance. It’s not like I had any anger.”
In a separate subscriber-only story for Cleveland.com, Fedor makes the case that Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen has emerged as a legitimate candidate for this season’s Defensive Player of the Year award. Allen is the anchor of a unit that now leads the NBA in defensive rating (106.8).
The Pistons have the NBA’s worst record at 8-26, but they haven’t been disappointed by what they’ve seen from rookies Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren. As Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes, Detroit’s long-term outlook looks better than it did a few months ago due to the promise the team’s two lottery picks have shown.

Bulls Notes: Dosunmu, Caruso, Donovan

December 22nd, 2022 at 5:39pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Second-year Bulls reserve combo guard Ayo Dosunmu made his first NBA buzzer-beater in a 110-108 victory over the Hawks Wednesday, but continues to be a work in progress, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.

Cowley notes that Dosunmu has had something of a rocky trajectory with the 13-18 Bulls thus far this season. He initially was pressed into service as Chicago’s starter at the point due to the lingering recovery of Lonzo Ball from knee surgery, was then replaced by Alex Caruso in the starting lineup, and more recently has been losing rotation minutes as a backup to 36-year-old vet Goran Dragic.

“It’s all about your approach, your mental approach,’’ Dosunmu said. “You’ve got to be mentally strong in this league, definitely. I pride myself on being a great teammate, being there for my teammates. [In Miami] I didn’t play the minutes I ideally want to play, just me being a competitor, you know, but I can’t take that out on my teammates… I knew that whenever my time did come I would be ready for it. I always say brick-by-brick, and sometimes you can’t always keep stacking ‘em. Sometimes you gotta take bricks away. That’s part of the journey.’’

“He has always been able to hang onto his competitiveness and competitiveness has always gotten him through,’’ head coach Billy Donovan said of Dosunmu. “But I think the further you go up the ladder from high school, to college and now to the NBA, that is a huge component that you have to have, but there’s also the detailed part, too. In terms of understanding who he is really guarding, trends, what the opponent likes to do, how he’s being guarded, what they’re doing to him.”

There’s more out of the Windy City:

Caruso has entered the NBA’s concussion protocol after he collided with Atlanta forward De’Andre Hunter while scrambling for a loose ball in the second quarter of the Hawks game on Wednesday, writes Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago. Schaefer notes that the Bulls also diagnosed the 6’4″ guard with a sprained right shoulder. The next opportunity for Caruso to suit up will arrive Friday against the Knicks, who have gone 8-2 across their last ten games, including two wins against the Bulls last week.
Donovan believes the Bulls’ reportedly heated locker room exchange, during halftime of an eventual 150-126 loss to the Timberwolves, could ultimately be a positive for the team’s season going forward, Cowley writes in a separate piece. “I think you hope so,’’ Donovan said of the conversation. “I’m a big believer in confrontation. Communication, them trying to relay what they need from each other is a good thing.’’ After that Minnesota defeat on Sunday, the Bulls have now won two straight games against playoff hopefuls.
In case you missed it, the Bulls are being eyed carefully by several front offices across the league as potential sellers by the trade deadline, should their season continue to crater.

Rival Executives Believe DeRozan Could Ask Out If Bulls Continue To Struggle

December 22nd, 2022 at 12:58pm CST by Rory Maher

Another star player rival executives believe could request a trade in the offseason is DeMar DeRozan, who will earn $28.6MM next season in the final year of his contract. Like the Hawks, the Bulls have dealt with their own on-court dysfunction, currently sitting with a 13-18 record, the No. 11 seed in the East. The Bulls were the No. 6 seed last season after finishing 46-36 (they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Milwaukee), so they’d have to go 33-18 the rest of the way to just to match that mark, which seems improbable at the moment. Haynes says that playing on an expiring deal is a “non-starter for most high-caliber players” and suggests that DeRozan is likely to seek an extension or ask out if the Bulls don’t improve. However, he did just enter free agency in the 2021 offseason after playing on an expiring contract with San Antonio, and was notoriously loyal with Toronto, so it’s unclear if this is report is just speculation from Haynes (and rival teams) or something the five-time All-Star is actually considering.

Bulls Notes: LaVine, Green, Ball, Trade Deadline

December 21st, 2022 at 8:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

In the midst of giving up 150 points to the Timberwolves on Sunday, Bulls players had several angry exchanges in the locker room during halftime, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. A coach had to come into the room to settle things down, Cowley adds.

Sources told Cowley that the tension was the result of persistent defensive breakdowns over the previous five games and much of the anger was directed at Zach LaVine. Cowley notes that LaVine was playing defense at the best level of his career last season before he started developing knee pain. Teammates expected him to return to that level after knee surgery and with his new contract signed, but that hasn’t happened.

“I don’t think you can sit there and point at every defensive breakdown and say ‘Hey, that’s on Zach’ or ‘It’s all DeMar (DeRozan),” coach Billy Donovan said. “No, it’s all of us. We’re all together. And we as coaches play a part in it, too, constantly trying to create the clarity for him as in, ‘This is what we’re doing, and can we do it at a high enough level?'”

LaVine dismissed the incident after Tuesday’s win at Miami, Cowley states in a separate story.

“Something that happens all the time in our locker room,’’ he said. “Multiple guys talking; multiple guys frustrated. That’s what’s supposed to happen; it’s a basketball team. Not the first time, not the last time. It’s just you guys hear it. It’s nothing new to us.’’

There’s more on the Bulls:

Javonte Green continues to battle right knee soreness, Cowley adds, and is missing his sixth straight game tonight. Donovan said Green is making progress, but he still feels pain in the knee whenever the team tries to increase his activity in rehab.
Lonzo Ball didn’t offer many specifics when he talked to reporters Tuesday after the condition of his left knee, but he sounded positive about the rehab process, per Rob Schafer of NBC Sports Chicago. Ball, who underwent surgery in September, said he has been able to do some stationary shooting drills. However, he still has pain in the knee, which causes mobility issues. “Last couple weeks, I’m finally seeing some improvement, which is nice to see,” he said. “It’s still not obviously where I want to be. But it’s definitely positive light at the end of the tunnel.”
Rival executives believe the Bulls should be sellers heading into the trade deadline, but they’re not sure that Chicago’s front office agrees, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic and Alex Caruso could all be in demand, and some teams may be watching LaVine as well, although his injury history and $215MM extension could make him tough to deal. According to Pincus, the belief among representatives at the Winter Showcase in Las Vegas is that Chicago hasn’t made an effort to trade any of its top players.

Scotto’s Latest: Porzingis, LaVine, Trent, Pacers, Spurs

December 21st, 2022 at 10:19am CST by Luke Adams

Two NBA executives who spoke to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype believe that if he remains healthy and productive this season, Wizards big man Kristaps Porzingis could be in line for a three- or four-year contract worth about $30MM annually on the open market next summer. Porzingis holds a $36MM player option for 2023/24, but would likely decline that option and accept a modest pay cut next season if it meant securing a lucrative long-term deal.

With Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma both potentially on track for 2023 free agency, the Wizards may have to make some decisions in the coming weeks about their current roster’s ceiling and how committed they are to this core. The team holds Porzingis’ and Kuzma’s Bird rights, but both players would be unrestricted free agents, so Washington wouldn’t be able to fully control the process. If the Wizards are worried about losing Porzingis and/or Kuzma next summer, it would make sense to gauge their value in advance of February’s trade deadline.

According to Scotto, the Wizards believe their roster is more talented than their 12-20 record suggests and are hoping to get an extended look at a fully healthy group before making any decisions about personnel changes.

Here’s more from Scotto:

The Bulls, Raptors, and Wizards are among the teams being monitored closely by rivals in case they pivot to selling. Multiple clubs, including the Knicks, are keeping a close eye in particular on Bulls guard Zach LaVine, says Scotto. LaVine has reportedly not seen eye-to-eye with the organization this season after signing a five-year, maximum-salary contract in July.
Multiple NBA executives who spoke to Scotto at this week’s G League Showcase “unanimously” consider Gary Trent Jr. the Raptors‘ most likely trade candidate. Trent is widely expected to turn down his 2023/24 player option (worth $18.8MM) and seek a multiyear deal. Two executives told Scotto they think Trent can get $20MM+ per year as a free agent, and there’s skepticism around the NBA that Toronto will want to retain him at a price exceeding $20MM annually.
With the Pacers and Spurs still well below the salary floor, multiple executives believe the two clubs will be on the lookout for opportunities to take on unwanted contracts – along with draft compensation – at this season’s deadline, per Scotto.

Bulls Rumors: LaVine, DeRozan, Donovan, More

December 20th, 2022 at 3:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have lost four straight games and are just 6-14 since opening the season with a 5-4 record. Amid the prolonged slump, concerns have arisen within the locker room about whether stars Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan “can click together at a high level on the court this season and beyond,” according to Shams Charania and Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic.

Charania and Mayberry report that the Bulls have held multiple team meetings to attempt to work through their issues, including one-on-one sessions between LaVine and DeRozan. However, those efforts haven’t led to on-court results — according to The Athletic’s duo, an “on-court, stylistic tension” has festered throughout the season.

Asked about the situation in Chicago, LaVine said that the team’s win-loss record has magnified any issues the team may be experiencing.

“I think everybody goes through ups and downs, just like every team does,” LaVine told The Athletic on Tuesday. “Obviously if we’re not winning games, not everybody’s going to be happy. It’s not going to look as good as it was before. It’s all glitter and show when you’re winning games. But when you’re losing games and you’re trying to do the same things, it’s turmoil. Everybody has their right to their own opinion. For me, I keep my head down. I work on my game and try to help my team. I help try to lead the team. That’s where I stand. I just try to take it day by day and evaluate how we’re doing.”

Citing multiple league sources and people close to the situation, Charania and Mayberry also report that LaVine and the Bulls haven’t been seeing eye-to-eye this season. Specifically, they say there has been “a palpable feeling across various parts of the franchise of a disconnect over LaVine’s situation in Chicago.”

The Athletic’s report is lacking in specific details and the wording is somewhat vague, so it’s difficult to tell exactly what the issues in Chicago are or how seriously we should take them. At the very least, it sounds like the team’s slump is creating frustration and tension that might not exist if the Bulls had won a few games. Whether the club will be able to work through those problems and rebound without major personnel changes remains to be seen.

Here’s more on the Bulls:

There has been “increased skepticism” within the Bulls’ locker room about head coach Billy Donovan and his staff, per The Athletic’s duo. However, Donovan signed a preseason extension and his job is safe, according to Charania and Mayberry, who say the veteran coach is focused on optimizing LaVine and DeRozan through “a balance of execution, accountability and cooperation.”
LaVine dismissed the idea that he has been negatively impacted by the increased expectations that came along with his new five-year, $215MM+ contract. “It hasn’t weighed (on) anything for me. I don’t understand how that gets put into context,” he said. “Just because you sign a deal, it’s supposed to be added weight to it? I think there’s added weight each time you step on the court if you don’t perform or you don’t play the right way. But everybody’s open to their own opinion.”
After Sunday’s 150-126 loss to Minnesota, veteran guard Goran Dragic said the Bulls’ problem is that they’re “not playing for each other.” Donovan also suggested that the team is playing too individualistically: “We’ve got to get out of the mindset of worrying about scoring and how’s it going offensively and realize the ball scores. And if the ball’s moved and passed whoever scores, scores.”
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst explores whether it makes more sense to stay the course or to pivot and become a seller. As Windhorst notes, the Bulls owe their 2023 first-round pick to Orlando with top-four protection, so even bottoming out and finishing with the league’s worst record wouldn’t give them more than about a 50/50 chance to keep that pick. On the other hand, with so few sellers on the trade market, Chicago could potentially get a good return by trading certain veterans.

DeRozan Is Team's Best Trade Asset

December 19th, 2022 at 5:34pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bulls gave up 150 points to the depleted Timberwolves on Sunday. Coach Billy Donovan said in-game adjustments can only go so far if the effort level is lacking, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times writes. ‘‘I can switch to zone, I can switch to different pick-and-roll coverages, but if the compete level isn’t high enough collectively as a unit, it doesn’t make a difference,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘When you line up and play, the beauty of it is it doesn’t make a difference what happened yesterday or two weeks ago. You are not escaping the moment of the physicality and what you’ve got to do.’’
With the Bulls having to seriously consider blowing up their roster, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago ranks their trade assets. DeMar DeRozan tops that list, followed by Zach LaVine and Alex Caruso. Johnson believes DeRozan is the front office’s best hope to replenish the draft capital it surrendered in previous deals.