On Thursday afternoon, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic reported that both Kris Dunn and Bobby Portis were on the verge of returning to the Bulls lineup soon and that head coach Jim Boylen intimated the team was contemplating playing the pair as early as last night’s win over the Thunder.
Of course, last night came and went with neither Dunn nor Portis taking the floor, and per Shannon Ryan of the Chicago Tribune, neither player is a sure bet to play against the Celtics tonight either.
“They had a good day and that’s about all I’ve got,” Boylen said yesterday in regard to tonight’s game. “We have to wait until they respond (Saturday) morning. They have their check-in and we go from there. (But) they got through (Friday) and did well.”
Last we heard about two weeks ago, both Dunn and Portis were able to work out for the first time, which was the most either had done since being injured, but neither player was ready for any type of contact, per former coach Fred Hoiberg.
Dunn, 24, sprained his right MCL against the Mavericks in the third game of the season (his first) on October 22 and has not played since. Meanwhile, Portis, 23, suffered the same injury two nights later. Likewise, he has been out of the lineup since the injury.
Per Boylen, both Portis and Dunn will have their minutes restricted whenever they return.
Bulls should be looking to deal Portis and Dunn see if they can grab a 2019 1st for either (Celtics?)
Maybe. But why mention the Cetics? Who would be Celtics want to give up in addition to a 1st rounder for either of these guys? Dunn is not an upgrade over anything they have at the guard position right now and sure as hell won’t give up a first to bring him in. And Portis over who in Celts rotation would be worth giving up a first?
Celtics have like 4 or 5 1sts next year.
only player on boston i would want would be rozier
They wouldn’t trade Dunn unless they can get a lotto pick back and Dunn doesn’t have that value right now. Better just try to build around him. Plus there have been talks of extending Portis and he has said he doesn’t mind being a 6th man for the Bulls.
If anything, they should be looking to showcase Lopez and trade him first and foremost. Not saying he would bring back a 1st like the Bulls were wanting last year, but he just doesn’t fit going forward.
Depends on how much they plan on paying him to be a 6th man. Both are good enough to be rotational pieces, 1st man off the bench. Both will need that extension as you noted. Bulls are further away from competing though, picking up future assets or building a package to guarantee you get one of the Big-3 should be a priority over keeping Portis and/or Dunn. Barrett would elevate this squad instantly. And there PG FA market is robust – aside from the vets they could pay up for a young player like Rozier Brogdon, or Russell.
But is anybody really going to pay a lotto pick for Dunn or Portis? Doubtful at best. Both have more value to the Bulls right now than any other team. Maybe the Bulls could package Portis and Dunn to a team like Indiana for a 1st round pick, but it won’t be a lotto pick. And then the Bulls end up with a high teens or low 20s pick that ends up being Denzel Valentine or something. And a rebuilding team won’t want Dunn or Portis to help their rebuild as they are decent rotation pieces, but nothing to build around. Unfortunately, I see the Bulls being stuck in a weird purgatory situation for years to come if they don’t nail their 1st round pick this year.