Bulls face tough trade waters ahead and try to navigate drafts

There are eyes on the Bulls roster.

It is still too early for phone calls, but there are eyes from all over the association waiting to see which way it goes.

Will Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisova captain the ship straight into the iceberg, or can he lighten the cargo in time to avoid it and sail into the sunset that will be the Cooper Flagg competition?

According to a source, everything remains dead quiet on the trade front for the Bulls and has done so since late July. No surprise at this point in the campaign. But there’s a growing sense for other teams that if Karnisovas can’t move one or more of the obvious big three pieces of Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic or Lonzo Ball, they could look to move Ayo Dosunmu or a Coby White, either for draft select assets alone or in a package.

It is the tightrope that Karnisovas is still trying to navigate.

In a perfect world, the Bulls’ top prospect wants to showcase as much talent as possible for about 30-35 games or so before ensuring the roster stays in the bottom 10 for the draft lottery and keeping the protected 2025 first-round draft pick pick out of San Antonio’s hands.

If only LaVine and Ball were more cooperative about it.

Through no fault of their own, both are sidelined with injuries. LaVine missed his third straight game with a strained adductor but was likely to play Saturday in Atlanta.

“They just want to get (that tightness) out,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said Thursday. “He’s definitely moving closer and closer to playing.”

The ball is not.

The injured point guard sprained his right wrist last week against Memphis, and if he continued to play, it could have gotten worse and resulted in surgery. Once he starts dribbling a basketball — which still isn’t on a timetable — the Bulls will have a better idea of ​​how long he’ll be in street clothes.

Either way, it’s a gut punch.

LaVine has three years and $138 million left on his deal, but Ball is in the final year of his contract and is making $21.4 million. LaVine would only be movable if a playoff-caliber team were to lose a key scorer, and even then, the money would be hard to match.

A healthy Ball coming off the bench for a playoff contender, playing 18-20 minutes, and doing it on an expiring contract? It is an attractive piece. Unfortunately, a piece that cannot continue to run.

“Beats on wood, the knee has been good for him so far,” Donovan said. “I don’t know if I would classify him as ‘injury-prone.’ He definitely had injuries with his knee. That’s well-documented. This was a little more unique just because it was a contact injury. I’m hopeful for him because he really has wrapped his head around what his role is going to be going forward, and if he shows he can consistently play in that role, I think there’s great opportunity for him here or elsewhere.”

Vucevic is playing his best basketball as a Bull, but again, his value is dictated by a market shift due to the current two years remaining on his deal.

Therefore, White and Dosunmu could come into play. Both represent the next wave of talent that has been developed out of the 2021 rebuild, and both are on very attractive contracts. White has two years and just over $25 million left in total, while Dosunmu is two years at $14.5 million.

LaVine jumps to $46 million next season and has the player option for $49 million for the 2026-27 season. Someone has to go. The league is watching.