Zach Collins' toe injury jeopardizes his season, adding critical urgency to the Chicago Bulls' frontcourt needs before the trade deadline.
While trade news buzzes with one day remaining until the deadline — and the Chicago Bulls, uncharacteristically, executing aggressive moves led by executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas — the injury situation has struck the team again.
Before the Bulls visited Milwaukee on Wednesday, head coach Billy Donovan delivered a sobering update on Zach Collins, revealing his season could potentially end due to a lingering right toe injury.
“This could happen,” Donovan said to the media during the pregame. He noted that the ramp-up period, once Collins removes his boot, will be essential for the upcoming two-week evaluation.
Averaging 9.7 points and 5.6 rebounds across just 10 games this season, Collins has been wearing a protective boot since the injury occurred, missing 20 consecutive games since December 27, when the Bulls hosted the Milwaukee Bucks. His absence has been keenly felt as Collins provided crucial bench scoring, elite efficiency and a physical presence in the paint that the Bulls desperately lack elsewhere on the roster.
Now his second season in Chicago might be cut short entirely.
The timing of Collins' potential season-ending setback adds urgency to Chicago's frontcourt needs as the February 5 deadline looms closely. The Bulls had maneuvered two significant trades on Tuesday, including restocking their backcourt by acquiring Jaden Ivey from the Detroit Pistons, Mike Conley Jr. from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Anfernee Simons from the Boston Celtics. They also dealt Nikola Vucevic, the veteran center who the team once struggled to navigate suitors, to the Celtics for Simons and a second-round pick.
Chicago briefly acquired Dario Saric from the Sacramento Kings via a three-team trade last Saturday before immediately flipping him to Detroit. With Collins' availability now in serious jeopardy and larger burdens that stress Jalen Smith, who played under minute restrictions, and two-way center Lachlan Olbrich, the Bulls have to fill the void of the frontcourt before the deadline.
The assumption is that Karnisovas was aware of Collins' uncertain future before executing Tuesday's trade moves. With essential trade assets like Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu still on the roster, he is likely to remain active on the phones.
With Smith (when healthy), Matas Buzelis and Olbrich left, Chicago’s frontcourt might hardly compete in the Eastern Conference's physical interior battles. The team might hope to aggressively pursue another frontcourt piece before the deadline.