This post was originally published on this site.
A “For Sale” sign might not be outside the United Center, but do never forget to ask your realtor about the private listings!
While the Chicago Bulls are unlikely to make their trade deadline intentions public – as they rarely do – those behind the scenes may be becoming increasingly aware of the organization’s gameplan. The Athletic’s Sam Amick recently discussed where a handful of teams stand ahead of the February 5 deadline, and he lumped the Bulls into the category many want them to be in.
When mentioning the Kings’ intention to offload players, he proceeded to share that the Bulls are also believed to be on the list of “sellers.” Amick specifically mentions Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Nikola Vucevic, and Kevin Huerter as players who could make sense elsewhere.
Of course, each one of those players is currently on an expiring deal. The same can be said for Zach Collins, Jevon Carter, and Dalen Terry. Overall, the Bulls have seven players who are months away from hitting free agency, which is a big reason why they are well-positioned to make moves in the coming weeks.
Expiring contracts are incredibly valuable during this time of year. Not only does it allow contending teams to add help without the concern of impacting their future cap sheet, but these contracts can often serve as perfect salary filler for multi-team transactions. Typically, teams trading away high-budget players are not willing to take back long-term salary.
The Bulls should also be eager to avoid losing quality players for nothing. While they may have the resources available, the franchise would be foolish to re-sign every player this offseason. They have lost three consecutive Play-In Tournaments and continue to be in desperate need of a shake-up. Heck, even if the Bulls wanted to bring back a handful of these players, who is to say those players would want to return?
Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, in particular, feel like the two names who would draw significant interest from the teams with money to spend this summer. The Bulls can not afford to see either player walk for nothing in return, especially after all the growth they have shown over the last couple of years. Similarly, they can not afford to bring both back. The front office already hitched its wagon to Josh Giddey with a $100 million payday. Should they really pay two of these guards the big bucks with no real proof of concept?
At the end of the day, all signs point toward a sell-off being the wise move this season. And the recent injuries to Giddey and White only strengthen that argument. They started the process last season by moving on from Zach LaVine and leaning harder into a youth movement. This is the right time to show fans you’re finally willing to pick a lane and commit to something more than middling results. The good news is that Amick’s report suggests they are ready to do just that, but the only real indicator will be what the roster looks like on February 6.