Trade season has descended upon the NBA.
The Golden State Warriors broke the seal on the most tumultuous time of the year when they acquired Dennis Schröder from the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. With one desirable guard on the move, the market can be expected to shift rapidly in the coming weeks as the Feb. 6 trade deadline looms.
The Bulls are stuck in their efforts to move the player who arguably should be their most desirable trade chip: two-time All-Star guard Zach LaVine, whose maximum contract has served as a sizable albatross in trade negotiations despite his standout play to start this season.
Instead, the Bulls are expected to turn their attention to two other primary assets: Nikola Vučević and Lonzo Ball.
The Bulls aren’t just interested in taking calls on Ball. As confidence around the league continues to build surrounding the viability of Ball’s knee — and his ability to contribute as a high-level playmaker and reliable defender — interest in acquiring the point guard also is rising. And the Bulls front office hopes to capitalize on this desire after 2½ seasons of waiting and hoping for Ball’s return.
Ball is sitting on an expiring contract, which gives the Bulls a sense of urgency to move him before the season ends — especially after fumbling a similar situation last season with Andre Drummond, who was allowed to walk over the summer despite potential trade offers before the deadline.
Vučević is in a less pressing situation, but the Bulls are well-positioned to strike while the iron is hot as the center continues the best shooting season of his career. The issue is the price — the Bulls reportedly are seeking a first-round pick to part with Vučević, according to longtime NBA insider Marc Stein.
That might be hard to acquire, even as Vučević shoots the lights out of every arena in the league this season. But after failing to get back a single draft pick in the Alex Caruso trade this summer — a decision that looks increasingly disastrous as Josh Giddey struggles to establish himself in Chicago — it’s understandable that the Bulls would aim to recoup draft stock with another trade.
Either move would require a higher level of decisiveness than the Bulls front office has shown in years. The Bulls have not made an in-season trade for a player since the 2020-21 season, when they acquired Vučević at the deadline.
Will that trend end this season? There’s still reason to doubt that executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas will execute a deal — but if he does, it’s most likely to start with one of those two players.
Caitlin Clark squashes suggestion of ‘rivalry’ with Angel Reese (again)
When Time Magazine named her its Athlete of the Year, Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark used the opportunity to settle a series of scores from a rookie season defined by both astronomic change for the sport and unyielding controversy stirred by fans and media alike.
In a wide-ranging interview with Time, Clark addressed the importance of uplifting Black women in the WNBA; her frustrations with media coverage, including USA Today reporter Christine Brennan; and the challenge of grappling with her new platform and voice.
Clark also took time to shut down — not for the first time — the idea of any “rivalry” with Chicago Sky star Angel Reese.
Clark denied that Reese’s viral celebration in the 2023 NCAA championship game — in which she pointed at her ring finger while looking at Clark in the final seconds of LSU’s victory over Iowa — ever bothered her. And she said the idea of a rivalry between her and Reese is “fabricated” and “made up” despite the focus it received the last two years.
“I don’t get that at all,” Clark told Time. “We’re not best friends, by any means, but we’re very respectful of one another. Yes, we have had tremendous battles. But when have I ever guarded her? And when has she guarded me?”
Clark also tried to shut down the controversy surrounding a flagrant foul by Chennedy Carter in the first Fever-Sky meeting this year, in which Carter hip-checked Clark to the ground on a dead ball. Clark added that she never believed Reese cheered for the foul, shrugging off the entire event as a heated moment in a competitive game.
“I never thought I was being targeted,” Clark said. “Obviously, that shouldn’t ever happen within a game. But basketball is physical. Your emotions can get the best of you. My emotions have gotten the best of me many times.
“A lot of people that wanted to have opinions on what was happening probably didn’t even watch half the games that they were trying to have a take on and hadn’t supported the W for a really long time.”
Brooks Barnhizer plays toothless for Northwestern
Northwestern’s Brooks Barnhizer is playing with fewer teeth than normal — but that won’t stop the senior guard from getting on the court.
Barnhizer had his two front teeth knocked out in practice last week and underwent a bone graft Dec. 10 to create an initial repair of the injury. He didn’t miss a beat after being cleared for contact, scoring a team-high 20 points in Sunday’s win over Georgia Tech.
Barnhizer will have to wait until the end of the season to undergo surgery, wearing a pair of fake teeth in the meantime. After starting the season with a nagging foot injury, Barnhizer wasn’t content to sit on the sidelines again.
“You’ve got to bounce back,” Barnhizer said. “I love this game. I already missed enough games, so I’ve got to be out here with the guys.”
Paul Reed waived, then re-signed by Pistons
This was a confusing week of contract navigation for former DePaul star Paul Reed as the Detroit Pistons executed a series of moves to restructure their salary-cap space midseason.
The Pistons claimed Reed off waivers in July after the Philadelphia 76ers released him following the best season of his NBA career. Reed has been a deep rotation player for the Pistons, averaging 10.5 minutes in 13 games this season.
On Saturday, the Pistons waived Reed to move off his $7.7 million annual contract, a holdover from the deal he originally signed with the 76ers. Waiving Reed temporarily dropped the Pistons below the NBA salary minimum; to counteract that, they signed Javante McCoy for less than 48 hours to remain compliant.
Once Reed cleared waivers Monday, the Pistons re-signed him to the league veteran minimum, according to the Detroit Free Press. The veteran minimum is $1.4 million, which clears significant cap space ahead of the trade deadline.
The long and short: Reed is still with the Pistons and will fill the same role. But the waiver navigation was an example of how teams can restructure a contract midseason to create more flexibility for potential moves.
Number of the week: 75
This has been a surprisingly historic season for the Bulls. On Friday, they hit another milestone — but not a positive one.
The Bulls and Charlotte Hornets combined to set an NBA record with 75 missed 3-point attempts in a 109-95 Bulls win.
Hornets star Brandon Miller was the worst offender, going 3-for-15 behind the arc. The Hornets shot 8-for-46 (17.4%) on 3s, with Miller the only player to make more than one. The Bulls didn’t fare much better, finishing 14-for-51 (27.5%) from 3-point range.
Week ahead: Bulls
- Thursday: at Celtics, 6:30 p.m. (CHSN)
- Saturday: vs. Celtics, 7 p.m. (CHSN)
- Monday: vs. Bucks, 7 p.m. (CHSN+)
What we’re reading
- Chicago Sky’s Tyler Marsh learned under 2 of the NBA’s best. His WNBA path reflects a new trend.
- NBA announces All-Star tournament plan for this season: 4 teams, 3 games and 1 night
- Injury timeline: A closer look at Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball, who is rapidly returning to normal playing time
- Column: It’s been a hard year for some G.O.A.T.s, from Bill Belichick’s career switch to Michael Jordan’s real estate
- Julian Phillips has found his niche on the Bulls roster. Can he transform that into a larger role?
- Notre Dame women jump to No. 3 in the new Top 25 poll after ‘major win’ over UConn
Quotable
“The city just gets behind an underdog, behind people that truly go out there to fight for the logo out in front, not the patch on the back. That red and white means a lot.” — Taj Gibson on receiving a standing ovation from Bulls fans Friday at the United Center
