Could the Bulls be looking to make moves ahead of the February 5th NBA Trade Deadline?
The Chicago Bulls sit in a familiar spot, hovering near the .500 mark with a 21-22 record, currently good for the 9th seed in the Eastern Conference standings. The Bulls could be headed towards another Play-In loss, a result that would no doubt result in a bit of apathy from Bulls fan who simply want to see the team make some sort of progress. One way to create real positive momentum for the franchise outside of postseason appearances, is making trades that add valuable players or picks that align with the timeline of your core. And reports indicate that Bulls VP of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas is doing that very thing, which would be a huge step in the right direction for the Chicago front office.
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Bulls have recently engaged in ongoing discussions with the New Orleans Pelicans front office about frontcourt players Zion Williamson and Yves Missi.
Obviously, Williamson can be categorized as a "star" player even with the myriad of issues that come with having him as a part of your organization. Williamson has had constant and nagging injury concerns throughout his young career, and even this season he has played only 29 of the Pelicans 45 games. But as is the book on Williamson, he has been great when he is available, leading the Pelicans with 22.5 PPG on 58.5% shooting from the field.
Williamons is making north of $39 million this season, and that figure goes north of $40 million per season over the last two years of the deal. Matching the salary alone to acquire Williamson would mean the Bulls are giving up either a considerable number of players, or Vucevic and one more player to make a deal for Williamson.
The much more realistic trade is Chicago finding a way to acquire Pelicans center Yves Missi. He is in second year, averaging 5.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game over 18.6 minutes per game. Missi is making around $3.5 million per season with a team-option in 2027-28 ahead of his restricted free agency in 2028-29. The team control on his deal would obviously be attractive for a Bulls organization that is likely trying to retain a number of key players while (always) trying to say away from anything close to the luxury tax.
Aside from the financial/team control aspect, Missi is a big who fits exactly what Chicago needs from the five on defense. He is a great shot blocker off of timing and instincts alone, and will become an even better rim deterrent as he gains playing experience. Per Cleaning The Glass, the Pelicans are nearly 6 points per possession better with Missi on the floor. He isn't a great finisher despite all of his offense coming at the rim, but the hope would be Missi can covert more FGAs at the rim getting feeds from Josh Giddey, who would unquestionably be the best playmaker the rim-running Missi has ever played with.
As we approach the February 5th 3:00 PM ET NBA Trade Deadline, keep an eye on the chatter surrounding the Chicago-New Orleans trade talks.