Patrick Williams

Kings/Bulls Notes: DeRozan, White, LaVine, Huerter, T. Jones

March 21st, 2025 at 4:01pm CST by Rory Maher

Forward DeMar DeRozan became the 27th player in NBA history to record 25,000 career points on Thursday, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. As Law Murray of The Athletic notes, DeRozan joins LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Stephen Curry as active players who have scored at least 25,000 points.

However, the impressive milestone was bittersweet for DeRozan and the Kings, who lost to his former club, the Bulls.

While DeRozan exchanged in some lighthearted trash-talking with his former teammates leading up to the game, he made it clear afterward that he still supports them, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. DeRozan particularly singled out Coby White, who scored a game-high 35 points in Chicago’s victory.

“Rooting for all those guys, honestly,” DeRozan said. “I watch every single game when we don’t play. Even if we’re playing at the same time, I check the box score and see how guys do. Obviously, I still talk to my sons every day, make sure they’re making their bed and everything. It was great to see Coby thriving the way I knew he would be. You know, working out with him every summer, seeing how much he loved the game, how much he put into it, it was dope to see.

“In the group chat [Wednesday] night, I was talking trash to [Patrick Williams] and [Dalen Terry] about them having nightmares just thinking about guarding me. So it’s fun, and it’s a different type of excitement you have going against familiar faces.”

Here’s more on the Kings and Bulls:

Thursday marked Zach LaVine‘s first game against Chicago since he was traded to the Kings last month. In the lead-up to the game, LaVine reflected on his time with the Bulls, saying he had “no bad blood” and a “really good tenure” during his nearly eight years with the team, according to Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. “I put that jersey on with a lot of pride,” LaVine said. “I love Chicago. Always will. If you go out there and try your best and it don’t work, sometimes it’s frustrating, both on the organization and as a player. But I wore it with my heart on my sleeve. I can’t get mad at that.”
While LaVine wasn’t out for revenge, the same can’t be said for Kevin Huerter, who was traded by the Kings to the Bulls in the LaVine deal. The 26-year-old had one of his best games of the season against Sacramento, putting up 25 points (on 10-of-16 shooting), seven assists, five rebounds, four steals and a block in 37 minutes. “We’re competitors at the end of the day,” Huerter said Wednesday, per Cowley. “Any game we go into, we’re trying to win. I know those guys over there [in Sacramento] really well. Any time you get moved on from a team, I think it’s natural that you want to kick their ass next time you play them, but there’s no ill will, no hard feelings. [I’m] still pretty close with a lot of people there, so [I’ll] go try and compete.”
Bulls point guard Tre Jones sustained a left midfoot sprain during Thursday’s game, tweets K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network. X-rays were negative, Johnson adds, and it’s unclear if Jones will miss time due to the injury. The impending free agent has played well for Chicago since he was acquired from San Antonio in the LaVine deal, particularly over the past couple weeks.

Central Notes: Fontecchio, Toppin, Buzelis, Williams

March 18th, 2025 at 7:11pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Simone Fontecchio was re-signed by the Pistons on a two-year, $16MM contract last summer. The forward’s shooting numbers are down this season but coach J.B. Bickerstaff has stuck with him on the second unit. Fontecchio delivered his best performance of the season in Detroit’s 46-point thumping of New Orleans on Monday, with 23 points and seven rebounds.

“We trust these guys and we don’t live game by game, we give guys an opportunity to build a track record,” Bickerstaff told Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “We give guys an opportunity to play with freedom and confidence. And we know Simo’s capable of knocking down shots. It never wavered from our end. We know we’re going to need all of them and I thought (Monday) was a great night for him, to go 9-of-10 from the field and 5-of-5 from three. It was great to see it.”

Fontecchio is appreciative that Bickerstaff has continued to rely on him.

“It’s important,” Fontecchio said. “They know I can shoot it in many ways, being a team player and locker room player, grabbing rebounds, playing defense and making the right play on offense.”

We have more from the Central Division:

The Pacers got a monster game out of Obi Toppin on Monday. He scored 34 points and hit four overtime three-pointers in their victory over Minnesota. Toppin was signed to a four-year, $58MM contract last offseason to remain in an Indiana uniform. It was strong all-around effort from the Pacers unheralded players, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star notes. The team was missing four of its top five scorers and had to use a handful of players on two-way and 10-day deals, but still had eight players score in double figures.
Matas Buzelis made his 17th straight start for the Bulls in their 111-97 road win over the Jazz on Monday, scoring 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting. He also had nine rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot in 30 minutes. The rookie forward is averaging 12.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 26.4 minutes per game as a starter. “With Matas, I think he’s got huge upside. I felt like Lauri (Markkanen) had huge upside even though he’s gone to Cleveland and he’s come (to Utah), but I think he’s constantly, each year, taken a step,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan told Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. “I think Matas can do the exact same thing. I’m not saying they’re the exact same players, but I think he can make those kinds of steps.”
The Bulls’ decision to hand power forward Patrick Williams a five-year, $90MM contract last summer doesn’t look like a wise investment at the moment. Williams is averaging a career-low 8.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 49 games, including 35 starts. There is one aspect of his game where he could show some progress the remainder of this season — his decision-making — before entering the offseason with a plan for how live up to that contract, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times writes. “I think he’s a guy who, early in his career — and it’s still early in his career — had a hard time getting over mistakes,” Donovan said. “I think he’s gotten past that and he’s been better with that. The other part is the decision-making part of it. There’s times he’s got to get off [the ball]. There’s times he’s got to shoot. There’s times he’s got to drive it.”

Bulls Notes: Williams, White, Buzelis, Phillips, Play-In

March 7th, 2025 at 3:57pm CST by Rory Maher

Bulls forward Patrick Williams has missed the past two weeks with a right knee injury, but he appears to be nearing a return. According to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, the plan is for Williams to practice today in Miami, and, assuming things go well, he’ll suit up on Saturday against the Heat.

“After being out for a while, I just want to check all the boxes, so to speak,” Williams said Thursday. “A lot of injuries happen when guys are trying to rush back more than anything, so I’m just trying to be careful in that aspect.

“You guys know I’ve dealt with my fair share of injuries already, so I’m doing what I can to prevent what I can. The knee itself feels good; the quad tendon feels good. I want to get back knowing we’re in the homestretch of the regular season. I want to be able to be full-go swinging by the time we get to that play-in tournament.”

Here’s more on the Bulls:

Guard Coby White erupted for a career-high 44 points in Thursday’s comeback victory in Orlando, writes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. White scored the team’s final nine points and recorded 17 points in the fourth quarter.
Centers Zach Collins and Jalen Smith fouled out in the fourth quarter yesterday, but recent draft picks Matas Buzelis and Julian Phillips stepped up late against a physical Orlando frontcourt, per Cowley. “Whatever it takes to get the win, honestly, and that’s what we had to do,” Buzelis said. “We had to be physical, dive on the floor, run in transition, and whatever we had to do. I’m proud of that, and I’m proud of Ju for sure.”
In another story for The Sun-Times, Cowley examines a few key questions facing the Bulls following the news of Ayo Dosunmu‘s season-ending shoulder surgery. Cowley believes Dosunmu’s injury could increase White’s trade value this offseason, perhaps making the team more likely to deal 2023/24’s runner-up for Most Improved Player.
In a column for The Chicago Tribune, Poe argues that another play-in berth for the Bulls feels all but inevitable. As Poe writes, Chicago has a 3.5-game lead on Brooklyn and Philadelphia and is 4.5 games up on Toronto for the final play-in spot with 19 games remaining on the team’s schedule. While things could certainly change, as all four teams have struggled lately, the Bulls’ reluctance to embrace a tanking season will likely come back to bite them when the draft lottery rolls around, Poe opines.

Bulls Notes: Collins, Buzelis, Giddey, Williams

February 28th, 2025 at 1:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Injuries left Zach Collins as the Bulls‘ only remaining option at center for the past two games, resulting in a lot of minutes for the newly acquired big man, writes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. With Nikola Vucevic out of action to “proactively” rest a calf injury and Jalen Smith in concussion protocol, Collins made two straight starts, logging 28 minutes in Monday’s contest and 38 on Wednesday.

“I’m tired,” joked Collins, who was only averaging 11.8 minutes off the bench in San Antonio before being traded earlier this month. “I guess I’m getting all the minutes I want.”

Poe notes that Collins has faced a challenging adjustment moving into coach Billy Donovan’s up-tempo approach, which has been necessary because of the team’s overall lack of size. Collins has played well enough since the deal that Donovan indicated he might use some double-big lineups when Vucevic and Smith are healthy. That could happen soon, as K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network tweeted that Smith participated in this morning’s shootaround.

Collins is also working to solidify his future with the Bulls, who are expected to try again this summer to trade Vucevic.

“You want to help put your team in a position to win,” Collins said. “Great individual games don’t really mean much if you can’t get the win.”

There’s more from Chicago:

Suns star Kevin Durant was impressed by rookie forward Matas Buzelis when the teams met last weekend, Poe adds in a separate story. Buzelis wasn’t intimidated in his matchup with an NBA legend, posting 15 points and three rebounds in 24 minutes. “I like Matas,” Durant said. “I liked him when he was with the G League Ignite. He’s long, athletic and can shoot it. He is definitely going to have some bumps and bruises as he gets through these first few years in the league trying to figure stuff out. The more experience, the more reps he gets on the floor as a starter, the better he’ll become.”
The Bulls shouldn’t be fooled by Josh Giddey‘s recent hot streak, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic states in a mailbag column. Giddey is averaging 19.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.3 steals per game since the trade deadline while shooting 52.3% from the field and 62.5% from three-point range. However, Mayberry points out that Giddey, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, is playing for his next contract. Mayberry urges the front office to let the process play out with Giddey and not repeat last year’s mistake with Patrick Williams, who was re-signed before he could negotiate with other teams.
In the same piece, Mayberry expresses skepticism that any team will be willing to trade for Williams, who has four years and $72MM left on his current deal.

Bulls’ Patrick Williams Out At Least Two Weeks With Knee Injury

February 20th, 2025 at 4:02pm CST by Rory Maher

Fifth-year forward Patrick Williams recently received a platelet rich plasma (PRP) injection to treat a right knee injury the Bulls describe as tendinosis. He’ll miss at least two weeks, which is when he’ll be reevaluated, per the team (Twitter link).

Williams was initially ruled out for Thursday’s game at New York with what the Bulls called right quadriceps tendon soreness. He banged knees with a Pistons player on February 12, but was able to go through practice on Tuesday and Wednesday.

According to K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link), Williams threw a towel in frustration during a timeout after experiencing the injury last week, but both he and head coach Billy Donovan downplayed the severity of the issue after the game. At the time, Williams said the knee-to-knee contact aggravated the sore tendon, but X-rays came back normal.

It’s been a tough season on an individual level for Williams, who is averaging career-worst rates on both two-pointers (40.0%) and threes (35.1%) for an overall field goal percentage of 37.5%. The 23-year-old, who was selected No. 4 overall in 2020, missed 10 games earlier this season, and will now miss at least eight more over the next couple of weeks.

With Williams out, Matas Buzelis, Kevin Huerter and Julian Phillips are among the candidates to receive more playing time.

Bulls Notes: Ball, Tanking, Roster Keepers, Williams

February 19th, 2025 at 6:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

Loyalty factored into Lonzo Ball‘s decision to accept a two-year, $20MM extension from the Bulls, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. The second year is a club option, and if the Bulls exercise it, Ball’s total salary for the next two seasons will be less than the $21.4MM he’s making this year. It’s his way of repaying the team for believing in him while he was sidelined with knee issues for two and a half seasons.

“Just the overall picture,” Ball explained. “The doctor being out here, so not having to deal with the rehab process like I have the last couple years, the relationship I have with the front office, the coaching staff, the young guys here, it all made sense for me to stay. That’s what I wanted ultimately, and we were able to come to an agreement.”

The announcement of the extension was somewhat of a surprise considering that Ball had been heavily involved in trade rumors leading up to the February 6 deadline. He was also headed toward free agency this summer, which could have resulted in a much larger payday, but he prefers the stability of staying in Chicago.

“I’m in trade talks every year so that’s not a new thing to me, but I expressed to my agent (Rich Paul) that I wanted to stay, and they wanted to have me,” Ball said. “They stayed with me for probably the toughest journey in my life so far, so I was just trying to get back, man, and be loyal to who was loyal to me. I was brought up like that my whole life. I’m really big on family and I feel like it’s family here.”

There’s more on the Bulls:

The front office may regret not fully embracing a tanking strategy at the deadline, Cowley states in a separate story. Chicago sent Zach LaVine to Sacramento, but held onto Ball and veteran center Nikola Vucevic, sending mixed signals about which direction the franchise is headed. Cowley advocates emulating the 9-45 Wizards, as well as the Rockets and Pistons, who were able to quickly rebuild after tanking in recent seasons. Beyond having a better shot at Cooper Flagg, the top prize in this year’s draft, Cowley points out that there will be three potential franchise players in the 2026 class.
In another Sun-Times piece, Cowley tries to determine which players from the current roster should return next season. His list includes Ball, restricted free agent Josh Giddey, rookie Matas Buzelis, Jalen Smith and either Coby White or Ayo Dosunmu.
Patrick Williams will miss Thursday’s game at New York with soreness in his right quadriceps tendon, according to K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link). Williams banged knees with another player in the final game before the All-Star break, but the injury doesn’t appear serious as he was able practice without restrictions on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Central Notes: Middleton, Antetokounmpo, Bucks, Bulls, Ivey

February 5th, 2025 at 7:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

The agreed-upon trade sending Khris Middleton to the Wizards will break up one of the longest partnerships in recent NBA history, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Nehm notes that Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo both joined the Bucks in 2013 — Middleton in a trade with Detroit after an uneventful rookie season and Antetokounmpo as a little-known draft pick out of Greece. They wound up playing together for nearly 12 years, combining for 738 regular season and playoff games and bringing Milwaukee its first NBA title in half a century.

“For me, it’s a little bit bigger than business, it’s family,” Antetokounmpo said at Wednesday’s shootaround after news of the trade broke. “With a guy that I’ve won a championship with — it’s not only that I’ve won, I’ve lost a lot of times with him. I’ve been in a dark place a lot of times with him. I’ve been in the bus going to a lot of pressure situations with him. … That’s what I remember.”

Injuries to both players prevented them from duplicating the championship they captured in 2021. Middleton in particular has suffered repeated physical issues and has been limited to 23 games this season after undergoing surgery on both ankles.

Even though they’re no longer teammates, Antetokounmpo said his friendship with Middleton will last beyond their playing days.

“I know it’s business, but for me, Khris is my brother,” he added. “I’m going to have a relationship with him after basketball. It kind of hurts, but at the end of the day, I understand the business side of things, and I’m still going to show up to work and do my job until it’s my time to dip.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

The Middleton deal brings the Bucks about $300K below the second apron and will have future benefits as well, notes Frank Madden of BrewHoop (Twitter link). With Middleton’s $34MM player option no longer on the books for next season, Milwaukee projects to be $31MM under the first apron. Madden points out that gives the team access to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, even if Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton exercise their player options.
Coach Billy Donovan said the Bulls aren’t done pursuing deals after sending Zach LaVine to Sacramento on Monday, per Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. Mayberry notes that Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball, Coby White and Patrick Williams have all been mentioned in rumors, but nobody is certain who will be leaving ahead of tomorrow’s deadline. “I already know I’m not untouchable,” White said. “I like being in Chicago, but it’s out of my control. That’s up to the front office and how they view me. As long as I’m here, I’m here to compete, play hard, lead and do anything I can to help win.”
Pistons guard Jaden Ivey recently posted a video of himself walking underwater to his Instagram account, relays Jared Ramsey of The Detroit Free Press. Aquatic therapy is part of Ivey’s treatment as he works to recover from a broken left fibula.

Bulls Notes: Williams, Buzelis, Terry, White, LaVine, Vucevic

January 28th, 2025 at 7:44am CST by Luke Adams

Bulls head coach Billy Donovan made what Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune describes as a “long overdue” change to his starting lineup on Monday vs. Denver, moving forward Patrick Williams to the bench and elevating guard Ayo Dosunmu in his place.

As Poe notes, Chicago’s guard-heavy starting five allowed the club to better match up with a Nuggets team that was starting three guards of its own (Jamal Murray, Russell Westbrook, and Christian Braun), so there’s no guarantee Donovan will stick with the lineup change going forward. Still, the results were compelling.

The slumping Bulls picked up just their second win in their last nine games, registering a 129-121 victory over Denver, and Williams’ +16 mark in 28 minutes off the bench was a personal season high. After contributing 11 points and eight rebounds, the fifth-year forward – who had started 35 of 36 games before Monday – admitted to reporters that he didn’t mind being moved to the bench (Twitter video link via Poe).

“I would say yeah,” Williams said when asked if he’s more comfortable in a reserve role,” but I wouldn’t say I’m uncomfortable with starting. The second unit needs different things than the first unit. I’ve always tried to be a player that tries to fill any gap. I’m not trying to say that I’m one thing. I’m just trying to be a basketball player.”

As Poe writes, Williams wasn’t the only Bulls youngster who looked more comfortable in the adjusted rotation. Rookie Matas Buzelis was the first player off the bench and logged 20 minutes, his highest mark in over a month. He chipped in nine points and four rebounds and was a +10 during his time on the court. Dalen Terry also had a good night, with 13 points in 13 minutes and a +11 plus/minus rating.

The Bulls are expected to be without a couple key players when their three-game road trip begins on Wednesday in Boston, so Williams may end up being moved back to the starting five out of necessity, Poe writes. But she argues that if the Bulls want to try to boost the forward’s trade value ahead of next Thursday’s deadline, it might make sense to play him more often with the second unit, where he seems more comfortable.

Here’s more on the Bulls:

There’s “optimism” that Coby White, who was been dealing with a bone bruise in his right ankle, will be able to return during Chicago’s three-game road trip, Donovan said on Monday (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network). However, White likely won’t be active vs. Boston on Wednesday. “A few days ago, I think he was having a little bit of pain there, but that’s kind of subsided,” Donovan said, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “He still has some things he has to do in terms of more movement, but [he’s] certainly closer to playing.”
Zach LaVine will be out on Wednesday for personal reasons. According to Cowley, LaVine’s absence is related to the impending birth of his third child.
In a story for The Tribune, Poe checks in on where things stand with several of the Bulls trade candidates, evaluating which players are most likely to be moved and what the team could realistically expect to receive in return. Discussing Nikola Vucevic, Poe contends that it’s realistic to expect a first-round pick in exchange for the veteran big man, who is having his best season since he arrived in Chicago in 2021.
In case you missed it, we passed along several Bulls-related items on Monday, including the fact that the team has no untouchables in trade talks. Additionally, the Bulls and Suns reportedly discussed Bradley Beal, but the Phoenix guard is said to be uninterested in waiving his no-trade clause to go to Chicago.

No Untouchables In Bulls’ Trade Talks

January 27th, 2025 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, and Lonzo Ball have been the Bulls players most frequently cited this season as trade candidates, but head of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas would be open to moving just about anyone on the roster if he thinks the deal is in the team’s best long-term interests and helps Chicago keep its top-10 protected 2025 first-round pick, says Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.

Cowley identifies Matas Buzelis as the only exception, but clarifies that the rookie forward isn’t “completely untouchable” either.

The report doesn’t come as a real surprise. Chicago has also reportedly made forward Patrick Williams available, and Cowley suggested last month that guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu aren’t off the table in trade talks.

The Bulls also aren’t likely to be especially attached to reserves like Jalen Smith, Jevon Carter, Chris Duarte, Torrey Craig, and Talen Horton-Tucker, while youngsters Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips haven’t established themselves as long-term keepers.

That leaves Josh Giddey, who was viewed as Chicago’s probable point guard of the future when the team acquired him last summer from Oklahoma City in exchange for Alex Caruso. Giddey didn’t sign a rookie scale extension last fall and has had an up-and-down first season as a Bull, but I’d still be a little surprised if he’s moved by next Thursday, given that his value on an expiring contract would be limited.

A source tells Cowley that Karnisovas has come down to some extent on what teams viewed as “unrealistic” asking prices for his top trade chips earlier in the season, though that doesn’t mean he’s simply willing to sell off players to the highest bidder.

Discussing the latest on Vucevic within a trade rumor round-up on his Substack, Marc Stein of The Stein Line reports that the Bulls are still seeking a first-round pick in return for the veteran center. Stein describes the Warriors as “at the front of the line” of Vucevic suitors, but says Golden State has been unwilling to offer more than second-round capital to this point.

As for LaVine, he was at the center of one of the season’s earlier notable trade rumors when a report in mid-December indicated that the Nuggets had real interest in the Bulls guard. However, LaVine has been on a tear since then, further increasing his value by staying healthy and averaging 27.0 points per game on .524/.467/.786 shooting over his past 18 games. Nuggets guard Jamal Murray has heated up too, putting up 21.3 PPG and 5.9 APG with a .485/.404/.913 shooting line during the same time frame.

As Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes, Murray’s resurgence will likely make “big-game hunting less of a priority” for the Nuggets, while LaVine’s heater will make it more difficult for Denver to meet Chicago’s asking price. So the odds of a trade sending LaVine to the Nuggets look slimmer than they did a month ago.

In case you missed it, we wrote about another Bulls-related rumor earlier today, passing along word that Chicago has talked to the Suns about Bradley Beal.

Bulls, Suns Have Discussed Bradley Beal

January 27th, 2025 at 10:26am CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls are “absolutely involved in conversations with the Suns involving possible Jimmy Butler situations,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst stated on Monday’s episode of his Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link).

While Windhorst was careful about what he did and didn’t say in addressing the discussions between Chicago and Phoenix, he made it clear that Bradley Beal‘s name has come up in those conversations and that the Bulls aren’t looking to reacquire Butler themselves.

“If I’m talking about a three-team trade and Jimmy Butler is on one end and (he’s) not going to Chicago, we’re talking about Bradley Beal,” Windhorst said. “… The bottom line is that the Bulls and the Suns have talked and the concept of Bradley Beal ending up in Chicago has been discussed. I’m not saying it’s going to happen. I’m not saying it’s close or whatever. Obviously, Beal has a no-trade clause.”

As we’ve written many times in recent weeks, the Suns and Butler have strong mutual interest. And in order to acquire the Heat star, whose cap hit is $48.8MM, Phoenix would need to include Beal and his $50.2MM cap hit in its outgoing package for salary-matching purposes.

However, Miami reportedly has no interest in taking on Beal’s maximum-salary contract, which comes with a no-trade clause and covers two more seasons beyond this one. That means at least one more team would need to be included in a deal sending Butler to Phoenix in order to take on Beal’s contract and to send the Heat the sort of assets they’re looking for.

While it’s possible the Bulls could be that team, their most obvious salary-matching fit in such a deal – Zach LaVine ($43MM) – may not appeal to the Heat because his contract runs beyond the 2025/26 season. Multiple reports have indicated that Miami is prioritizing cap flexibility in 2026 and is strongly opposed to taking on salary beyond that season.

During the Hoop Collective discussion, Windhorst’s ESPN colleague Tim Bontemps also questioned why the Bulls would be motivated to swap out LaVine for Beal, given the limited draft assets the Suns could offer as sweeteners and the All-Star caliber season LaVine is having so far this year (24.0 PPG on .512/.444/.792 shooting).

Phoenix has three first-round picks available to trade, but each of them includes “least favorable” language and seems likely to end up in the 20s. Bontemps argues that the Bulls will be able to get better value for LaVine, who would reportedly prefer to remain in Chicago past the trade deadline, if they wait until a little later in his contract to move him.

Chicago could theoretically trade for Beal without including LaVine, since the team has other trade candidates – starting with Lonzo Ball ($21.4MM) and Nikola Vucevic ($20MM) – whose salaries could be aggregated to match Beal’s incoming figure. But that would leave the Bulls with both Beal’s and LaVine’s maximum-salary contracts on their books and overlapping skill sets on their roster.

Although there are permutations of a multi-team Butler deal that might make sense for all of the Suns, Bulls, and Heat, it would likely require at least one additional trade partner and wouldn’t be easy to construct. It would also require Beal to agree to waive his no-trade clause in order to join a team that’s likely lottery-bound.

Presumably, the discussions between Chicago and Phoenix are about figuring out what that path might look like. There’s no indication they gained any real momentum.

For what it’s worth, one report last week linked LaVine to the Bucks. It sounded like no more than speculation, but maybe there’s a viable scenario that sends Butler to Phoenix, Beal to Chicago, LaVine to Milwaukee, and various pieces to Miami.

It’s also worth noting that both the Bulls and Suns have other trade candidates who are making nearly identical salaries this season and are strong candidates for changes of scenery: Chicago forward Patrick Williams ($18MM) and Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkic ($18.13MM).

Williams is a former No. 4 overall pick who showed three-and-D promise earlier in his career but whose development has stalled. Nurkic has been a starter for most of his 11-year NBA career, but has fallen out of Phoenix’s frontcourt rotation. It’s possible the Suns would be willing to roll the dice on unlocking untapped potential in Williams, who is still just 23. It’s also possible the Bulls would like the idea of taking on a contract that will end in 2026, three years before Williams’ does.

However, Windhorst didn’t say anything during the Hoop Collective podcast about either of those players being discussed.

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