The rumors are churning.
And in what could be one of the craziest offseasons the NBA has seen in years, the Bulls are right there, smack dab in the floating debris.
Lonzo Ball, Nikola Vucevic and Coby White all possible trade candidates, heralded prospect Ace Bailey trying to sabotage his draft stock to fall to a major market like Chicago, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas suddenly easier to work with in the eyes of other league executives, and of course the ongoing pursuit of Golden State forward Jonathan Kuminga that the Bulls have been lying in the weeds on for months.
Some truth in all of it, but also the basic disinformation that Karnisovas likes to leak out there.
According to a source, the Bulls and Karnisovas have been more responsive to trade talks than in the past, and while Ball, Vucevic and White are all possibilities to be moved, the name that is atop Karnisovas’ list entering Wednesday’s first round of the NBA Draft is Patrick Williams.
The organization has reached the point where they’ve run through most of their developmental staff in attempting to pair Williams up with the right personal coach, only to see no upward movement for the soon-to-be sixth-year forward.
Considering Karnisovas made a desperate attempt to motivate Williams with the security of a five-year, $90-million extension last summer, the only way he knows he can move the underachieving wing is in a package or part of a multi-team deal.
There’s been a lot of work and phone time to try and make that happen.
If Karnisovas can do that, along with adding a favorable prospect in the draft, he can go ahead and kick up his feet and deem it a great offseason. Not only with what the Bulls did, but what’s happened across the Eastern Conference landscape since the regular season ended.
Not only did Karnisovas get a contract extension months ago – reported in the Sun-Times last week – but as his bank account has gone up, the powerhouse teams in the East have been ravaged with big bills to pay in the form of health issues and front office buffoonery.
Out with Achilles Heel tears for next season will be Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard, Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton, while New York went back to being unserious about basketball by firing coach Tom Thibodeau after he and his “Thibs Culture” delivered the city to the Conference Finals for the first time in 25 seasons.
Then on Monday the Celtics took another step back, trading Bulls killer Jrue Holiday to Portland in a salary dump.
Add in future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant being traded to Houston rather than Miami, and generational prospect Cooper Flagg undoubtedly staying in the Western Conference when Dallas selects him with the No. 1 overall pick, the Bulls have likely climbed up the standings without playing a game.
The draft could go a long way of assuring that.
All signs point to the Bulls selecting a frontcourt player with defensive specialist Collin Murray-Boyles in the lead out of the gate, especially if they feel good about a Williams deal happening. Noa Essengue and Asa Newell are also possibilities.
If Karnisovas opts to go guard – like a Kasparas Jakucionis or an Egor Demin – it’s safe to say that Ball or White will be on the move.
Then there’s the wildcard in all of this. The enigma that is Ace Bailey. He’s reportedly “shrunk” from his winter listing of 6-foot-10 to now being just over 6-7, he’s cancelled interviews with every team and refused to work out for anyone.
One rumor is that he wants to play in a major market where he feels he can be the main attraction, so there’s some self-sabotage going on. Could that market be the Bulls? Considering Karnisovas has pick No. 12 and there’s no indication he’s looking to move up even if Bailey slides to Nos. 6 or 7 it’s very unlikely.
But it’s out there. Just like all the other floating debris.