The Bulls defeated the Timberwolves 120 to 115 on Thursday night in a game that could serve as something of a tryout for a potential trade, says Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Cowley had previously reported that the Wolves were potentially interested in pursuing one of Tre Jones, Coby White, or Ayo Dosunmu at the trade deadline, given their lack of guard depth. On Thursday, Jones had a clutch layup to give the Bulls the lead with 31.1 seconds remaining while White put up 22 points with four rebounds and four assists.
Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune echoed Cowley’s sentiment, breaking down the appeal and hurdles of each player in relation to what the Wolves could offer and prioritize in a trade.
While White has struggled to remain healthy this season, Poe writes that his strong play of late, which includes a healthy stretch where he hasn’t missed three games in a row since early December, could assuage concerns about his durability. However, White’s $12.9MM deal could be difficult for the Wolves to match salary-wise.
Dosumnu’s deal would be much easier for the Wolves to match, while his defensive presence and knock-down off-ball shooting could make him a nice fit in lineups next to Anthony Edwards.
Finally, she writes that Jones’ appeal could stem in part from his long-term team control, as there are still two more years left on his contract after this season. She adds that he’s not their preferred target, but he’s played well this season and could provide them with the type of steady floor general the team could use as Mike Conley has aged out of a starting spot.
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When it comes to the trade deadline, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan says he doesn’t believe that the upcoming stretch of games will play a huge determining factor in the team’s approach. “With the number of guys we have that are going to be free agents at the end of the season, I just think there’s probably going to be conversations they have, but a lot of it is going to be does it make sense? You have to have (trade) partners to do that, right?” he said. “I’m sure they’re all in communication and talking, and they’ve always been very gracious to come to me and say, ‘This is what we’re talking about, this is what’s going on.’ But I haven’t had any of that or anything that would indicate these next (six) games before the trade deadline are going to be really critical for the team.” Donovan adds that when vice president of basketball ops Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley aren’t on the road scouting, he’s in touch with them every day, and he expects any deal that is made to be somewhat down to the wire. “*It seems like all the movement happens the day before, the day of so to speak, where there’s so much activity,*” he said.
The Bulls have won four straight games, and **Josh Giddey‘s return from his 25-day absence due to a hamstring strain has been a big part of the last two wins against the Wolves and Celtics, Poe writes. In the matchup with Minnesota, Giddey came off the bench to score 21 points with five assists and six rebounds in 26 minutes. “I felt good*,” Giddey said after the game. “*It felt like normal basketball. When I got out there tonight, it was nothing new. … I didn’t feel rusty. It didn’t feel like I’d been out too long.” While his shot didn’t fall against the Celtics, he still managed 10 assists and eight rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench. More importantly, Giddey’s return allows the team to get an extended look at the backcourt pairing of him and White. Poe writes that the team is always better when those two are on the court, improving their season net rating of -2.4 to -0.7 in the minutes they play together. K.C. Johnson of CHSN notes (via Twitter) that it appears that Giddey will remain coming off the bench for the near future as he ramps up his workload.
After the Bulls’ victory over the Celtics on Saturday, the team retired franchise legend **Derrick Rose‘s jersey in an emotional ceremony filled with Rose’s former teammates, writes Jamal Collier for ESPN. Rose is just the fifth Bull to have his jersey retired, along with Jerry Sloan, Bob Love, Michael Jordan, and Scottie Pippen. “We wanted to honor him, but we wanted to take the time to actually really plan something really, really special*,” Bulls president Michael Reinsdorf said. “*I guess we could have done it last year, but I feel like this is the right way to do it. Give him time to prepare and give us time to ramp up to the big day.” Rose says that even though he’s now retired, he’s still chasing rarified air, this time in the business world. “The astute group of people that I’m chasing after, they’re not on the ‘gram,” he said. “They’re reading. I feel like that’s the sacrifice I have to make right now. In order to get to my goals, I have to make a gambit move.”