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Central Notes: Green, Robinson, Bulls, Collins, Thompson

December 6th, 2025 at 8:30am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bucks, already reeling from Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s calf strain, have another injury issue to deal with heading into their matchup with the Pistons on Saturday. Guard A.J. Green suffered a shoulder injury in their loss to Philadelphia on Friday and will undergo an MRI today.

“Losing A.J. Green hurts you,” head coach Doc Rivers said, per Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We can’t sustain much more, especially with guys that make shots. You’ve still got to figure out ways to win games.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

After missing a couple of games with an ankle sprain, Pistons wing Duncan Robinson played a pivotal role in the team’s six-point victory over Portland on Friday. Robinson, who was acquired in a sign-and-trade with Miami over the summer, scored eight of his 14 points during the fourth quarter. “He relishes those moments,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Since we’ve had [Duncan], you would just watch him and he’s not afraid of the moment. He loves the moment, and he knows it’s what this team needs. He is one of our best catch-and-shoot guys off the move, and he knows how to create those shots for him[self] – stretch the floor, create that space. But [he’s] got nerves of steel and a ton of courage.”
The Bulls’ woes continued on Friday. They endured their sixth straight loss, falling to the Pacers, 120-105. “It’s still a very long season,” guard Coby White said, per Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune. “I’ve been through the ups and downs here for seven years now. The most important thing is we stick together through this. The season’s always going to be filled with adversities. We got a chance to change the narrative right now. The most important thing for me is we don’t let go of the rope and we do this thing together.”
Bulls big man Zach Collins made his season debut on Friday after suffering a fractured wrist in the final game of the preseason. The Pacers targeted him on defense immediately, according to Poe, taking advantage of his sluggish pace of play after a month-and-a-half on the sidelines. He finished with eight points and six rebounds in 21 minutes.
Ethan Thompson made his NBA debut with the Pacers on Monday after signing a two-way deal last weekend. He had appeared in 194 G League games before getting his big break. “The heart was racing fast because it’s something you look forward to your whole life,” he told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “Being able to go out there, and then once the ball went in, I was able to calm myself down and then it just became basketball. Definitely leading up to the moment, a lot of fun thoughts racing.” Thompson played 34 minutes on Friday, contributing 11 points, two rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

Bulls Notes: Collins, White, Dosunmu, Spiral, Buzelis

December 5th, 2025 at 6:53pm CST by Rory Maher

Veteran big man Zach Collins will make his 2025/26 season debut on Friday when the Bulls face Indiana, head coach Billy Donovan told reporters, including K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link).

Collins suffered a non-displaced fracture in his left wrist during a preseason game in mid-October and subsequently had surgery to address the injury. The former lottery pick, who was selected 10th overall in the 2017 draft, was cleared for contact work earlier this week.

Collins will be limited to approximately 20 minutes in his first game back, according to Donovan.

Here’s more on the slumping Bulls, who have lost five straight games entering Friday:

Leading scorer Coby White, who has missed the past three contests with a left calf injury, will also be active for Friday’s game, Johnson adds. White underwent an MRI on his calf earlier in the week and the results came back clean — he said Wednesday that he was hoping to be back tonight and was considered day-to-day. Like Collins, White will be on a minutes restriction — Donovan said the 25-year-old combo guard would be capped at around 24 minutes.
While Collins and White were upgraded to available after initially being listed as questionable, the opposite was true of Chicago native Ayo Dosunmu, who was downgraded to out for Friday’s contest with a right thumb sprain. The 2021 second-round pick is off to a strong start this season, averaging 15.8 points, 3.1 assists and 2.6 rebounds on .529/.494/.852 shooting through 19 games (27.8 minutes per contest). Dosunmu is one of six injured Bulls who won’t play tonight.
The Bulls were one of the NBA’s pleasant surprises during the first couple weeks of the season, starting out 5-0. However, they’ve been spiraling down the standings ever since, going 4-12 over their past 16 games, writes Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. While injuries have played a part in the tailspin, Chicago also hasn’t taken advantage of seemingly winnable games — the team has lost to New Orleans (3-20), Charlotte (6-16), Indiana (4-18) and Brooklyn (5-17) during the ongoing skid, with Wednesday’s loss to the Nets marking a new low point. “Listen, I’m not going to make any excuses, because I always think players want opportunities to play and compete,” Donovan said, per Lorenzi. “And you know what? For some guys, this may be the best opportunity they got. To me, you should be playing all-out crazy hard and really, really physical and say, ‘Listen, if this ends because we get healthy, at least I made an effort.’ I did not think we did that. I don’t.”
Matas Buzelis‘ hasn’t made a second-year leap to this point in the season, but he remains confident that his game will eventually blossom, according to Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. A diligent worker, the 21-year-old forward has struggled at times with taking the necessary time to unwind, since he’s highly motivated to keep improving, Poe notes. “Waiting is the right word to use,” Buzelis said. “It’s all just part of the process. No one can predict it. There’s always going to be ups and downs. You’re not always going to shine in the limelight. But you continue to work, you continue to get better. That’s what I’m doing.”

Trade Notes: Giannis, Rockets, Vucevic, Middleton

December 5th, 2025 at 2:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Discussing Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s potential trade value during the latest episode of The Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst expressed some skepticism that the Bucks would be able to extract a massive package of future draft picks for their star forward if he asks out of Milwaukee.

“What I’m telling you is when I talk to executives – and these executives are not in trade talks with the Bucks or another team for a star player right now – the mood in the NBA right now is not to give up four first-round picks for anybody,” Windhorst said (hat tip to RealGM). “… People don’t want to do that because the aprons have spooked so many teams.

“All these teams are worried about getting into apron trouble where they can’t reset their rosters, and you get into a situation like the Celtics were in where you’ve got to rip your team down. … This is how teams are thinking right now. They’re a little freaked out about the aprons. There ain’t going to be no five first-round pick trades. I know that we saw those for a while. That’s just not going to happen.”

Windhorst went on to offer a few caveats, clarifying that he’s specifically referring to stars in their 30s who are earning the largest possible maximum-salary contracts, worth 35% of the cap. He also acknowledged that it would only take one team going all-in to prove his sources wrong.

“I can hear somebody out there listening to this podcast saying, ‘What are you talking about? This is Giannis. Giannis will go for two star players and six firsts,'” Windhorst said. “Maybe that will happen. I am just telling you, I talk to the guys who make these trades every day, all day long. And the appetite is just different. Everybody is feeling a certain way. I could end up being wrong, I’m just reporting back.”

While many executives around the NBA may be apprehensive about surrendering a handful of unprotected first-round picks in any deal, I expect a number of them would still be willing to do so for a two-time MVP like Antetokounmpo, who isn’t that old (he’ll celebrate his 31st birthday on Saturday) and doesn’t have the sort of extensive injury history that someone like Anthony Davis does.

For what it’s worth, the most recent trade involving four first-rounders – including three unprotected picks – happened less than six months ago, when the Magic acquired Desmond Bane, a player who has never made an All-Star team.

Here are a few more trade-related notes from around the NBA:

The emergence of Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard has made a trade to upgrade the backcourt a less pressing need, but if the Rockets have any reservations about Fred VanVleet‘s ability to return from an ACL tear and make an impact next season, they still may end up pursuing a deal by February 5, writes Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link). Gozlan acknowledges that there’s no perfect match for the Rockets, since an ideal trade target like Derrick White would be difficult to acquire and lesser options like Collin Sexton or Dennis Schröder might not make enough of a difference to make a deal worthwhile.
With the Bulls sliding down the standings after a hot start to open the season, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times argues that the front office ought to do right by Nikola Vucevic and trade the veteran center to a team closer to contention, giving him a chance to play in the postseason before he becomes an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) spoke to veteran forward Khris Middleton about what it’s like to be traded as an NBA player. Middleton, who was dealt from the Bucks to the Wizards at last season’s deadline after spending over a decade in Milwaukee, admitted that it was a blow to his ego. “It was just a time to decompress, get my feelings out, reminisce, go through a whole bunch of thought processes and figure out what my life’s gonna be like now,” Middleton told Fischer. “When you get traded, it’s a huge confidence killer, especially if you’re not in control of it. You have to kinda talk yourself back up.”

And-Ones: First-Time All-Stars, 2026 Draft, NBA Cup, More

December 5th, 2025 at 12:15pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2026 NBA All-Star Game is still over two months away, but a number of players around the league are emerging as legitimate candidates to appear in the game for the first time, writes Zach Harper of The Athletic.

Harper points to Bulls guard Josh Giddey, Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, Pistons center Jalen Duren, and Heat guard Norman Powell as Eastern Conference standouts who could become first-time All-Stars, while identifying Lakers guard Austin Reaves, Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, and Nuggets guard Jamal Murray as the most plausible first-timers in the Western Conference.

Of those players, only Duren looks like a shoo-in to make the game, according to Zach Kram of ESPN, who takes his own early look at potential All-Stars and divides players into two groups — “near-locks” and “on the bubble.”

Duren is among Kram’s seven near-locks in the East, though he considers Giddey, Johnson, and Powell to have strong cases to make the cut. In the West, Kram thinks Murray could still find himself on the outside looking in despite a career-best first half, given the strength of the competition for the 12 spots. However, with eight international spots to fill and the potential for injury replacements beyond the initial 24 All-Stars, there could be multiple paths for the Nuggets guard to finally earn the honor.

We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Although Kansas guard Darryn Peterson has only appeared in two games so far this season, he’s the 2026 draft prospect that NBA scouts seem most excited about, according to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, who places Peterson atop his most recent mock draft, ahead of Duke’s Cameron Boozer and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa. Tennessee’s Nate Ament has slipped out of Vecenie’s top five, with UNC’s Caleb Wilson at No. 4, followed by Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr.
A panel of ESPN insiders answers a series of questions related to the NBA Cup, including which player was the MVP during the group stage (Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got two votes apiece) and which team has the best chance to upset Oklahoma City in the knockout round (the Lakers earned three of five possible votes).
In an interesting story for ESPN, Kevin Pelton takes a deep dive into the data to explore the impact of familiarity on shooting efficiency and explains why a number of high-profile players who changed teams over the summer – including Cameron Johnson, Desmond Bane, and Myles Turner – may have gotten off to slow starts.
Lindsay Schnell of The Athletic examines how former G League players became NCAA-eligible and what it means for college basketball going forward. “At the end of the day, we’re not the ones making decisions,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “We either adapt to the rules or we get left behind. So until something changes, I guess all of us are watching G League games now.”

Knicks Notes: Giannis, Paul, Backup PG, Hart, More

December 4th, 2025 at 9:20pm CST by Rory Maher

Although the Knicks made a “real offer” for Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in the offseason, an in-season trade looks unlikely at this juncture, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link).

As Begley explains, Antetokounmpo would likely have to try and force his way to New York for a deal to happen, and even if that were to occur, Milwaukee would be under no obligation to fulfill his request. A league source also tells Begley the Knicks like their roster and believe they’re well-positioned in the wide-open Eastern Conference.

The Clippers announced on Wednesday morning that they’re “parting ways” with Chris Paul — what that means exactly is still to be determined, since he’s unlikely to be waived anytime soon and isn’t trade-eligible until December 15. A previous report indicated that the Knicks have discussed the possibility of making a deal for the 40-year-old point guard, but Begley hears a trade, at least as of now, is “highly unlikely” to occur.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News and Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post (subscriber link) weigh the pros and cons of the Knicks making a run at Paul. Vaccaro believes the future Hall-of-Famer would be an upgrade over second-year guard Tyler Kolek and would probably be relatively easy to acquire. Winfield, meanwhile, says Paul would be an imperfect fit on the Knicks due to his declining production and worsening defense, but the team does need another play-maker off the bench, and the 12-time All-Star is one of the best in league history.
As Stefan Bondy of The New York Post writes (subscription required), Kolek has been getting backup point guard minutes of late, but the team has struggled mightily in his time on the court, which is one reason why the need for a reserve play-maker behind Jalen Brunson persists. Bondy lists nine guards whom a pair of NBA executives think could be available before the February deadline, including Paul, Jose Alvarado (Pelicans), Tre Jones (Bulls), and his older brother Tyus Jones (Magic).
Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link) expects Josh Hart to remain in the starting lineup going forward, which is noteworthy because OG Anunoby could return to action on Friday — he’s questionable against Utah after missing the past nine games with a strained left hamstring. Hart has been playing his best basketball of the season recently.
While the Knicks have won five of their past six games, they’ve also blown double-digit leads in five of those six contests, according to Winfield. The latest incident occurred in Wednesday’s win over Charlotte. “Teams aren’t just going to lay down. We build a lead, you’ve got to anticipate they’re going to fight back, they’re not just going to give up,” Brunson said after the victory. “We’ve got to do a better job of slowing down their runs and limiting them. But we can’t let them get all the way back like we’ve been doing.”

Central Notes: Bulls Injuries, Cavs, Mathews, Furphy

December 4th, 2025 at 9:18am CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls got good news on guard Coby White on Wednesday after he experienced some tightness in his left calf earlier in the week. White missed Wednesday’s game vs. Brooklyn, but said his MRI results were clean and that he’s considered day-to-day, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link).

White hopes to return to action on Friday vs. Indiana, Johnson adds, though the 25-year-old acknowledged that Sunday vs. Golden State might be a more realistic goal, as the Bulls will likely exercise caution with their top scorer.

While the update on White was relatively positive, another Bulls guard, Kevin Huerter, has been diagnosed with a left hamstring strain after exiting Monday’s game early due to that injury. According to Johnson (Twitter link), head coach Billy Donovan said on Wednesday evening that Huerter will be reevaluated in one week, with no guarantee he’ll be ready to return at that time.

Donovan also didn’t have great news on forward Isaac Okoro, who has missed the past six games with a nerve issue the team is referring to as left lumbar radiculopathy.

“When he gets into certain extensions going backward, he gets pain down his leg that they’re trying to resolve,” Donovan said of the defensive ace. “To be quite honest, it’s going to take time. Until they can eliminate, that it’s going to be hard for him to come back and play.”

We have more from around the Central:

After snapping a three-game losing streak with a solid win over Indiana on Monday, the Cavaliers lost 122-110 to Portland on Wednesday and now have a 13-10 record this fall after going 64-18 last season. Star guard Donovan Mitchell isn’t impressed with what he’s seeing from the team, but he doesn’t want to overreact to the slump either, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). “Concern is a scary word to use with you guys,” Mitchell told reporters after Wednesday’s loss. “I don’t want to use it. It’s upsetting, but there’s room for growth. I’m not going to sit here and be like, ‘Oh, the sky’s falling and we’re panicking.’ We have to play better. We just have to be better on all accounts. I don’t really have another message than that.”
Pacers wing Garrison Mathews admits he was “a little surprised” to receive a second 10-day contract after making 2-of-13 three-pointers and going scoreless in four of five outings during his first 10 days with the team, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Indiana’s trust in Mathews has been rewarded in the past two games, as he scored 24 points and shot 6-of-7 from the floor in 45 minutes against Cleveland and Denver. “This is what we felt was coming,” head coach Rick Carlisle said. “That the work he did the previous 10, 12 days or whatever it was to get conditioning, to get rhythm, for all that to bear fruit. We thought bringing him back was the right thing.”
Pacers guard Johnny Furphy made his return on Wednesday after missing a month due to a left ankle sprain. Furphy didn’t make much of an impact in his first game back vs. Denver, going scoreless with a pair of rebounds and a turnover in 16 minutes. Still, Carlisle said during his pregame media session that it was good to have the second-year guard back, noting that he brings “a different element,” and that the banged-up Pacers “need all the depth we can get” (Twitter link via Dopirak).

Nikola Jokic, Cade Cunningham Earn Player Of The Month Honors

December 2nd, 2025 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Pistons guard Cade Cunningham are the NBA’s Players of the Month for October/November, earning the honor for the Western and Eastern Conference, respectively, per an announcement from the league (Twitter link).

It’s the ninth time that Jokic has won a Player of the Month award over the course of his 11-year career. He earned it in this case with a superlative start to the season that saw him comfortably average a triple-double – 28.9 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 10.9 assists per game – while leading Denver to a 14-5 record.

Jokic’s shooting percentages were arguably even more remarkable than his per-game averages, as he shot 63.7% from the field and converted 45.3% of his three-point attempts.

The Nuggets star came out on top of a competitive field that included nominees like fellow MVP candidates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder and Luka Doncic of the Lakers. Clippers guard James Harden, Rockets center Alperen Sengun, Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, Lakers guard Austin Reaves, and Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards were also nominated for Player of the Month in the West, according to the NBA (Twitter link).

In the East, meanwhile, Cunningham’s Pistons have been one of the most pleasant surprises of the season’s first six weeks. While Detroit was viewed as a strong playoff contender, few NBA observers expected the team to win 16 of its first 20 games and sit atop the Eastern Conference at the end of November.

Cunningham was the driving force behind the Pistons’ hot start, averaging 28.8 points, 9.4 assists, and 6.4 rebounds in 36.8 minutes per game across 17 outings, while shooting 45.6% from the floor and 81.5% from the free throw line.

Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, Bulls guard Josh Giddey, Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Heat guard Norman Powell, Magic forward Franz Wagner, and Knicks teammates Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns were also nominated for Eastern Conference Player of the Month, which Cunningham won for the first time in his career.

Central Notes: Holland, Sasser, Cavs, Bulls, Thompson

December 2nd, 2025 at 12:17pm CST by Luke Adams

After starting each of the Pistons‘ first 20 games of the Season, sharpshooter Duncan Robinson sat out on Monday vs. Atlanta due to a right ankle sprain. As Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press relays (via Twitter), head coach J.B. Bickerstaff expressed confidence before the game that “other guys (would) step up” in Robinson’s absence, and reserve forward Ron Holland made good on his coach’s prediction.

Holland had 17 points, six rebounds, and a pair of steals in just over 17 minutes of action, playing a key role as the Pistons eked out a 99-98 victory over the Hawks.

“He was unbelievable,” Bickerstaff said, per Sankofa. “He was the spark for us. We struggled tonight. We did, we struggled tonight. I thought Ron gave us a ton of energy, a fire, the way he just competed. I thought he was phenomenal tonight.”

As Sankofa writes, Holland is among the players whose energy helps fuel a Pistons team that ranks among the league leaders in several hustle categories, including points off turnovers, deflections, loose balls recovered, and shots contested.

“Coming off the bench for me, it allows me to slow the game down and being able to watch where I can really shine and being able to see what guys’ tendencies are, and to go in and make an immediate impact,” Holland said. “I definitely love coming off the bench with this team because one, it’s gonna be nights like this where we start off kinda slow. That’s what the bench mob is for, we get in and bring that spark and the energy we need.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

After initially not responding to treatment like the team had hoped, Pistons guard Marcus Sasser‘s right hip injury is trending in the right direction, per Bickerstaff (Twitter link via Sankofa). Sasser remained out on Monday, but the reason cited was “return to competition conditioning” and he has been playing 3-on-3 scrimmages, so his season debut likely isn’t far off.
After losing three straight games, the Cavaliers bounced back on Monday with a resounding 135-119 victory over Indiana. According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required), star guard Donovan Mitchell delivered a pointed message to his teammates after Sunday’s loss in the hopes of getting the Cavs back on the right track. “This ain’t last year. I told you at the beginning of the year, they coming for us — as they should,” Mitchell said of his message. “They’re coming for (Evan Mobley‘s) Defensive Player of the Year. They’re coming for my first team All-NBA. They coming for Kenny (Atkinson)‘s Coach of the Year. They coming for all that. We’re not the underdogs, we’re the hunted. We need to go out there and continue to act like it.”
Bulls guard Coby White will undergo imaging after missing Monday’s game due to some tightness in his left calf, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Big man Zach Collins, meanwhile, has been cleared for contact as he makes his way back from wrist surgery and the hope is that he’ll practice with Chicago’s G League team this week, Cowley notes. The banged-up Bulls lost another player in Monday’s loss to Orlando when wing Kevin Huerter exited after six minutes of action due to what the team referred to as an adductor injury. It’s unclear if Huerter will miss additional time as a result of that ailment.
Ethan Thompson‘s new two-way deal with the Pacers covers two years, Hoops Rumors has learned. That means Thompson won’t become eligible for free agency until the 2027 offseason if he plays out the full contract.

Central Notes: Garland, Ball, White, Furphy, Siakam

December 1st, 2025 at 1:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers will be without a handful of players for Monday’s matchup against the Pacers. Darius Garland (toe injury management) and Lonzo Ball (illness) have been added to the list of players who won’t be available. Larry Nance Jr., Max Strus, Jarrett Allen and Sam Merrill had already been listed as out of action due to various ailments.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Coby White, who has already missed a chunk of the Bulls season due to a right calf strain, is listed as doubtful with left calf tightness and congestion for tonight’s game against the Magic, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network tweets. White has played five games, averaging 24.2 points and 6.2 assists per contest. Noa Essengue, Jalen Smith and Isaac Okoro are listed as out, with Zach Collins – who has yet to make his season debut – considered doubtful.
Pacers forward Johnny Furphy, who suffered a left ankle sprain in early November, was assigned to the G League’s Noblesville Boom over the weekend and then recalled, the team’s PR department tweets. The 2024 second round selection has appeared in three games this season after coming off the bench in 50 regular season games during his rookie campaign. He appears to be nearing a return after practicing with the Boom.
With Tyrese Haliburton out for the season, Pascal Siakam is now the No. 1 option for the Pacers. He’s put together back-to-back 24-point outings as the team doubled its win total with victories over the Wizards and Bulls this weekend. Indiana got off to a woeful 2-16 start after making the NBA Finals last season. “You can’t take it for granted,” Siakam told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “Every single night you go out there, and when you’re used to winning you take it for granted. I think every day we go out there, every single possession that we win, every single run that we have, every single win, we gotta take it and enjoy it and know — which is the most important — know what it took for us to get to that. We’re tired of losing. We can’t keep losing. That has to be our mindset. We have to give everything for that.”

Bulls Considered Unlikely To Trade For Anthony Davis

December 1st, 2025 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls’ front office has engaged in internal discussions about trading for Mavericks big man Anthony Davis, according to Jamal Collier of ESPN. Davis is viewed as a potential solution for the team’s poor interior defense, but sources tell Collier that Chicago is reluctant to make any move that involves giving up a portion of its young core until it becomes more competitive.

“I don’t think going out and chasing X megastar is the way to proceed — at least today,” one source said.

Collier points out that the Bulls have plenty of ammunition for such a deal. They own their first-round picks for the next seven years, along with a 2026 first-rounder from Portland that’s top-14 protected. The team could also have nearly $70MM in cap room for next summer’s free agent market.

Trade speculation surrounding Davis has increased amid Dallas’ 6-15 start to the season and the emerging stardom of rookie forward Cooper Flagg. The Mavs may decide to embrace a youth movement, but Davis’ injury history and his pricey contract make him a significant trade risk. He has only played six games this season and recently returned after an extended absence caused by a left calf strain.

Collier’s information on the Bulls’ interest in Davis is part of a larger story about what has caused the team to fall to 9-10 after a 6-1 start. There was an early-season belief that coach Billy Donovan’s up-tempo style had the team headed in the right direction, but opponents seemed to have adjusted to it over the past few weeks.

Donovan admits that he has patterned the approach after the Pacers after watching them reach the NBA Finals last season.

“That’s who we have to be,” he said. “We have to be better than the sum of our parts. … Everybody sees Indiana play, and the thing that everybody goes to right away is oh, their pace, their pace, their pace. The one thing that Indiana probably doesn’t get enough credit for is yes, they play really, really fast and (Tyrese) Haliburton‘s a unique play-maker back there, but the physicality of those guys defensively is where our evolution has to continue.”

The Bulls have entrusted Josh Giddey, who was acquired from Oklahoma City before the start of last season, to lead the team in the Haliburton role. However, there are questions about whether the rest of the roster is good enough to ever reach that level. Collier notes that Indiana has been much better defensively than Chicago, and it has a second star in Pascal Siakam to pair with Haliburton.

“They have Haliburton, who is an All-Star, and they have Siakam,” a Bulls source told Collier. “If Giddey can develop into an All-Star and be what Hali was, when do we pull the trigger to get our Siakam?”

Management still views Giddey, Coby White, Matas Buzelis and 2025 first-round pick Noa Essengue as its future core, team sources told Collier. Essengue, who won’t turn 19 until later this month, has been brought along slowly and didn’t make his season debut until November 22. Those same sources state that the Bulls understand they need to keep adding to that core to be successful and they plan to make moves in that direction.