Bulls mailbag: Assessing Zach LaVine's trade market, potential draft targets

Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich

It’s always a bit odd covering a non-playoff team. Granted, stuff bubbles up---assistant coaching changes, the NBA Draft Combine descending upon Chicago, postseason hardware.

But for close to two months, as the NBA playoffs are staged, the Chicago Bulls are on the outside looking in---and for the second straight season to boot. No wonder you have so many questions.

With the injuries to Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine and Patrick Williams especially, the team was missing three starters at the end of the year. That would affect any team in this league. Nevertheless, the Bulls remained somewhat competitive and arguably fun to watch. Though there is a ceiling, one may wonder if the team could have made some noise in the playoffs with more injury luck. What’s your take? Have Bulls fans been overly critical of team management? --- Rene K.

Rene adds that he’s checking in from Austria, so he gets first question and answer because that’s where my wife and I honeymooned. (Fire emoji.)

I never tell fans what to think or judge fandom. It’s anybody’s and everybody’s right to cheer or boo their team how he or she wishes. What I will say is from my perspective, it’s fair to criticize management for trusting a core that clearly has a ceiling---or at least a ceiling without Ball. There has been plenty of evidence, both in terms of on-court play and advanced metrics, that the core of DeRozan, LaVine and Vučević has a ceiling that isn’t championship caliber.

Where I think any criticism of management needs to be balanced is that their original vision worked. The significant changes enacted in the 2021 offseason led to the Eastern Conference’s best record for half a season until injuries hit. But the Bulls are over two calendar years and multiple transactional cycles removed from that. And some of the few remaining assets are depreciating in value.

Karnišovas finally said it publicly himself: This group hasn’t worked. So let’s see what management has in store this offseason.

Do the Bulls see an off-season LaVine trade as something that HAS to happen? Or will they be content with him on the roster if a trade market for him doesn't materialize? Also, if he's on the team at the start of the season, do you think there's any potential for distraction/unrest? It seems like everyone was professional last year and I'm wondering if that can last if he's truly unhappy. --- Steve P.

Content may be the wrong word, and I do get the sense both sides are motivated to make something work this offseason. I don’t think the Bulls will take an awful deal if little materializes, but I do get the sense they’re open to more possibilities than before. More to the point: I’ve reported before what their asking price was---All-Star level talent, first-round picks or both---and my sense is that it has dropped significantly.

As I’ve said from the beginning regarding this situation: This is like a relationship that has run its course. And you’re right: Both sides have remained very professional to this point, and I expect that to continue. But the desire from both sides to make a change has grown.

Do you see Dalen Terry and/or Julian Phillips being able to become solid rotation pieces next season and elevating themselves up the roster? And would this have an effect on the possible 11th pick as we wouldn't really need another "project" wing player. Especially if the Bulls bring Patrick Williams back alongside any free agent pick-ups or trades. Where do they all get minutes? --- See Red UK

Ah, yes, a non-playoff team with so much talent that there aren’t enough minutes for everybody. (Sarcasm font.)

Just kidding, as your point is an intriguing one: Namely, do the Bulls pick best player available or for need, which is probably most either to add shooting or size up front. Dalton Knecht has been linked to the Bulls in some mock drafts, and he’d fit the shooting part while being less a development piece because of his college tenure.

But look, injuries happen. If a LaVine trade is made, some pieces could be moving with it. The best thing the Bulls can do is develop their players to their fullest no matter the logjam it creates. It’s how you turn a seemingly asset-poor roster into one that’s richer.

Regarding Terry and Phillips specifically, both showed flashes. I thought Phillips’ innate sense of how to play stood out almost any time he touched the court. (Though he could stop fouling 3-point shooters.) Phillips told us at the draft lottery after representing the Bulls that he’s recovered from his injury and looking forward to a strong offseason. That’s what you want to hear if you’re a Bulls fan.

Do you foresee the Bulls making any moves on draft night outside of picking 11th? Also, with the lack of star talent in this draft do you think they will go need over best player available? In any case who do you see the Bulls selecting in the 2024 draft? --- Herman T.

It’s impossible to predict. Mock drafts are all over the place. And you're not driving the action from that deep in the lottery. This draft is definitely one where beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I’ve been focused on four names, but that’s not to say any of them will land on the Bulls. Knecht, Isaiah Collier, Cody Williams and Kyle Filipowski. This draft features plenty of international talent, and management spent time overseas on multiple scouting trips.

As for other moves, they obviously moved into the second round last year to acquire Phillips’ rights. The Bulls are lacking much second-round capital, though.

Over the season, I’ve heard you say Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu aren’t your typical pass-first lead guards and maybe that should be something the Bulls try to address. But I don’t think there are many left in the NBA. Guys like Chris Paul, TJ McConnell and Tyus Jones are the only few that come to mind. So that leads me to ask: What do you view as a lead guard in today’s NBA? Or am I off with my interpretation of what you’re saying? --- Alejandro D.

You’re not off because it’s your interpretation of my comments. What I will emphasize are a couple points: I’ve always made it clear I’m not being critical of White or Dosunmu when I say those things. Both guards have grown tremendously and both are willing passers who try to make the right play. But neither are true point guards. It’s less about being “pass-first” and more about an overall floor command, an innate ability to organize and distribute. Paul is one of the all-time best at it, obviously. Lonzo Ball has the qualities to which I’m referring; you know it when you see it. I agree most guards in the league today can play on or off the ball. But true point guards have an organizing ability to them that makes those around them better.

A lot of the talk about the Bulls upcoming offseason is centered on selling off the top players (DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Nikola Vučević) and tanking or Artūras Karnišovas opting to just retool and run it back. Where does player development fit into each route? Tanking not only means more bad years of basketball, but it also relies on the hope that whoever we draft can be developed. We can argue that DeMar has been more of a factor impacting the current Bulls (Patrick Williams, Ayo, Coby, Dalen Terry) development than the organization over the last three years. I think we can all agree that the current roster is not a title contender. So when and how can the focus be switched to player development? --- Nick S.

That focus has been there for awhile. Karnišovas made a public comment after first being hired about being shocked to find only one true player development coach on staff. That was Shawn Respert. First, he and his staff worked to build out the staff, which has steadily grown over the last few seasons. Then, he made a high-profile hire last offseason by wooing Peter Patton to come home over offers from other franchises. I’ve also heard and reported that player development staff changes are being considered this offseason. I don’t yet know if that means different personnel, adding more to the department or both.

You mentioned in a recent podcast that the Bulls cannot let DeRozan walk because it would continue the trend of the Bulls letting their assets depreciate until they get little to no value back for them. This is unfortunately something that the Bulls are really guilty of doing. But at the same time, how attractive would a 35/36 year old DeMar making $40 million a year be as an asset to other front offices? Would we be able to get a better return in a trade for him than having a guaranteed top 10 (potentially top 5) pick next year in a “stacked” draft class, which would almost certainly be the outcome should AK let DeMar walk and achieve his primary offseason goal of trading Zach? --- Dino M.

Couple things: There are no guarantees, especially with the flattened lottery odds. Even before those changes were instituted, the Bulls did a soft tank following the Jimmy Butler trade and drafted seventh several years in a row. Luckily for fans, the previous regime’s trend of drafting well played out. Lauri Markkanen, Coby White and Wendell Carter Jr. are all legitimate starters, with Markkanen owning star potential and potentially White too.

Also, that point was made in Part 1 of the two-part podcast. In the second part, I specifically mentioned how the Bulls should make sure not to follow their Vučević situation by paying DeRozan a number that may not be tradeable in Year Two or Three. But letting him walk for nothing makes no sense to me. Either sign him at a number that’s tradeable at some point or hope he cooperates in a sign-and-trade at a bigger number.

Outside of Zach LaVine, who would the Bulls be willing to part with/accept in return (i.e. more draft picks)? What players would fit well (make sense) with Billy Donovan’s playing style?  --- Awni S.

Karnišovas said in mid-April that “everything is on the table.” So if you’re serious about change, you have to be open to any and all trade possibilities. That said, I think there are players they’d definitely prefer not to trade. Coby White would be near the top of that list. But you’re stuck in the middle. Some painful decisions may have to be made. The Bulls certainly don’t want to trade Alex Caruso. But if the right deal comes along, you have to consider it.

As for for what players fit well in Donovan’s style, it’s a broad definition. Donovan does prefer high IQ and mentally tough players. But increasing the number of two-way players on the roster should be the goal.

Which was the most traumatic for the Bulls, both the franchise and its fan base? The 1998 offseason, which abruptly put an end to a decade of success but as we know was unlikely to lead to banner number seven? Or Derrick Rose’s injury against Philadelphia, which abruptly prevented us from another decade of success and possibly would have led to banner number seven? --- Simon M.

I can’t speak for the fan base because that’s a personal choice. I can say from an organizational standpoint, the Rose injury prevails, hands down. This is for multiple reasons.

First, everybody in the franchise knew the 1998 offseason was likely. The ESPN documentary is called “The Last Dance” because that’s what Phil Jackson dubbed the season during the preseason. General manager Jerry Krause was open---even excited---about the coming rebuild. His relationship with Jackson was beyond repair. So while you never say never and Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf did have some conversations with Michael Jordan to gauge whether he’d be open playing for another coach after Jackson made clear he was done, nobody was surprised that it ended.

Nobody expected the Rose injury. And when you have the youngest most valuable player in league history signed to one of the biggest no-brainer maximum contract extensions go down with the first of multiple devastating knee injuries, it sets your franchise back years.

What's good old Captain Kirk (Hinrich) up to nowadays? Any chance of him getting back into the NBA game? Would make a great coach or exec in my mind. --- Matt A.

Hinrich attended a couple games last season and was shown on the scoreboard at one. He prefers to keep a low profile but has started doing some promotional appearances again. As for his basketball acumen, his Dad was a coach and Hinrich used to do some predraft work with prospects. I talked to Donte DiVincenzo once for a story about his work with Hinrich. But his main focus is just raising his family.

Winning a championship is impossibly hard. If the Oklahoma City Thunder of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook couldn't even make an NBA Finals after 2012, then that just shows that nothing about this league is guaranteed. A tank job will only assure one thing and one thing only: bad basketball.

Evidence? The seemingly forgotten Chicago Bulls tank job of 2017-2020. In the Luka Dončić draft, the Bulls went 27-55. In the Zion Williamson draft, they went 22-60. Both times? They picked 7th. Let's just say the Bulls got the chance to draft Zion, considered a generational prospect by many. Let's say Zion went to a team who had all their draft picks (and some), including other young and talented players with which to build. What happens? Oh, I know, that's called the Pelicans who, in the aftermath of the Anthony Davis trade, had all the young players in the world and draft picks and yet can't even make it to the second round a half-decade later.

I'll just bring these teams up: Detroit Pistons. Yeah. The Wizards. The Kings. The Suns (before Chris Paul). 

It's not a coincidence that the Knicks became a destination for Jalen Brunson when they stopped attaching their success to the luck of the lottery.

One last point, Bulls fans may want a tank, but I don't think they can handle one. Evidence? 2020. During All-Star Weekend 2020 in Chicago, that was the peak of Bulls fans' outrage. The All-Star Game was in town, but the Bulls couldn't have been more irrelevant. Have people forgotten why that was? The Bulls were tanking but were getting unlucky in the lottery. Who's to say that history wouldn't just repeat itself?

The current front office needs to be more active. They need to get better at talent assessment. But deciding not to be a doormat franchise is something I can support. My favorite Bulls team this decade was a squad composed of Joakim Noah, Jimmy Butler, Nate Robinson and Marco Belinelli. That team captured the hearts of every Bulls fan. Was that a championship contender? Obviously not. But hey, sometimes being competitive is enough---not as the ceiling but definitely as the floor --- Joseph D.C.

I don’t see a question here but I’m running it anyway because of the passion and because my dude brought up Marco Belinelli.

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