Fischer’s Latest: AD, Butler, Giannis, LeBron, Raptors, Vucevic
The Mavericks are said to be open to continuing Anthony Davis trade talks while the big man recovers from his hand injury, and agent Rich Paul would reportedly like to see a deal happen before the February 5 deadline. However, the market for Davis seems to have cooled in the wake of his latest injury, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
The Hawks and Raptors have been the two teams mentioned most frequently this season as potential suitors for Davis, but both Eastern Conference clubs have been signaling that they’re no longer involved in significant trade discussions with the Mavericks, per Fischer. The Warriors also haven’t shown legitimate interest in pursuing the 32-year-old despite being linked to him earlier in the season, Fischer adds.
By all accounts, the Mavs won’t just send Davis to the highest bidder if they don’t get any offers to their liking, so unless Atlanta or Toronto circles back to the big man or another suitor emerges in the next week or two, it sounds like the odds of AD remaining in Dallas through the deadline are rising.
Here are a few more items of interest from Fischer:
- Fischer agrees with fellow Stein Line reporter Marc Stein, who wrote on Wednesday that the Warriors are unlikely to trade Jimmy Butler at the deadline following his season-ending ACL tear. Butler has been a positive presence in Golden State’s locker room and the Warriors believes he’ll help them next season, Fischer explains, so it doesn’t make sense to move him unless his maximum-salary contract would be necessary to land a superstar like Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo or Lakers forward LeBron James. Both of those players remain very much on Golden State’s radar, says Fischer, but aren’t considered probable trade candidates at this time and may not be in play until the offseason, at the earliest.
- The Raptors are signaling that they’re not pursuing Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, but they maintain interest in Kings center Domantas Sabonis, sources tell Fischer. Toronto’s apparent lack of interest in Morant was also reported this week by Michael Grange of Sportsnet.
- Multiple sources who spoke to Fischer believe Bulls center Nikola Vucevic is unlikely to be traded at the deadline. However, the veteran big man is expected to be a popular target on the free agent market during the offseason, Fischer writes, since he’s believed to be open to taking on a more “complementary” role in the right situation after having been a full-time starter for most of his career.
Bulls’ Josh Giddey Will Play Tonight
5:51pm: Giddey will play tonight, Johnson tweets. He’ll be on a minutes restriction of roughly 24 minutes.
1:48pm: Bulls point guard Josh Giddey was a full participant in today’s shootaround and has been upgraded from questionable to probable for the team’s game in Minnesota on Thursday night, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network.
Giddey has been out since December 29, having missed Chicago’s past 11 games due to a left hamstring strain.
Prior to the injury, Giddey was making a case for a spot on this year’s All-Star team, posting new career highs in points (19.2), assists (9.0), and rebounds (8.9) per game, as well as three-point percentage (38.6%).
The Bulls have held their own in Giddey’s absence, going 6-5 since he went down. The team is deep enough in the backcourt to withstand the absence of its leading scorer and play-maker, with Ayo Dosunmu, Tre Jones, and Coby White all playing key roles in recent weeks.
While Giddey’s spot on the Bulls’ roster is safe, some of his teammates could be entering their last week or two with the team. Chicago has signaled its willingness to make significant changes ahead of the February 5 trade deadline, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, who says White, Nikola Vucevic, Kevin Huerter, and Zach Collins are among the players who have come up in trade talks.
Bulls Notes: Buzelis, Center, Smith, Mediocrity
Matas Buzelis was benched for the entire fourth quarter during Wednesday’s win over Utah and Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune argues the Bulls aren’t placing enough of a priority on the 21-year-old’s development.
Head coach Billy Donovan said the decision to sit Buzelis wasn’t solely on him but on the entire unit that was playing poorly in the third period. However, Donovan reinserted the other four players into the game in the final frame and not Buzelis, Poe writes.
“I am not trying to be vindictive at all,” Donovan said. “I just think that there’s a standard of play — and with that, an understanding that there’s going to be mistakes, right? It’s not so much to teach him a lesson, but there’s certain things he’s got to mentally hold himself accountable to and responsible for.”
The problem with Donovan’s win-at-all-costs approach is the Bulls aren’t good enough for those victories to be meaningful in the long run, Poe contends, whereas giving Buzelis a longer leash could give him a chance to learn from his mistakes like young players on tanking teams are given the opportunity to do.
Here’s more on the Bulls:
- Donovan wants to help Buzelis improve as a player and respects the fact that the second-year forward doesn’t offer excuses when he makes errors, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “I’m just trying to put on him the things that he can control that would impact winning, regardless of if he’s making or missing shots,” Donovan said. “He just kind of can move forward and take the information and figure out where he’s got to get better and how he’s got to get better, and I admire that about him. He’s not a guy that buries his head where you gotta pick him up, ‘Come on, everything is going to be OK.’ You never have to do that with him. He always comes back with, ‘I messed that up, I messed this up, I gotta be better, I’ve got to put my body here.’ I appreciate that. There’s never, ever from him, ‘Well, but this . . .’ Never does that. I think he really utilizes mistakes as a way to grow.”
- The Bulls are interested in adding a young center to their roster and have been looking to fortify the position “for some time,” sources tell Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com. Afseth reported on Friday that Chicago has been linked to Yves Missi, whose role with New Orleans has been reduced in his second season. The Bulls currently have Nikola Vucevic and Zach Collins at the five, with Jalen Smith playing both power forward and center. However, Vucevic and Collins, who is currently out with a toe injury, are both on expiring contracts.
- Smith was out of the rotation at the end of last season and he used it as motivation to improve over the summer, according to Cowley, who points out that the 25-year-old big man has the best on/off numbers on the team in 2025/26. “He’s been great for us honestly,” Vucevic said. “Playing the four, playing at the five, different situations, different positions. He’s done a great job for us protecting the paint, rebounding the ball as well, bringing us some physicality. I’ve enjoyed being out on the court with him. I think our two-big lineup helps us, and I think we have good chemistry. Yeah, he’s been doing a lot for us. When ‘Stix’ plays that way and he’s aggressive it makes us a much better team.”
- The Bulls have been remarkably consistent — in a mediocre way — over the past eight half-seasons, observes former Sun-Times writer Mark Potash (Twitter link). In the last eight 41-game spans, the Bulls have gone 19-22 four times, 21-20 twice, and 18-23 and 20-21 once apiece, Potash notes.
Bulls Notes: Starting Lineup, White, Trade Deadline, Buzelis
As his team navigates three significant injuries, Bulls coach Billy Donovan unveiled a new-look starting lineup in Wednesday’s win over New Orleans, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times (subscription required). Donovan went big to match up with the Pelicans, using Tre Jones as his lone guard alongside Isaac Okoro, Nikola Vucevic, Matas Buzelis and Jalen Smith. With Josh Giddey and Coby White unavailable to run the offense, Okoro led the way with a season-high 24 points in a 134-118 victory.
“Everyone knows their role on this team,” Okoro said. “No one is too big-headed or out there trying to be a superstar on this team. Everyone knows their roles, knows what they need to do to impact winning. So as long as guys know that, I think we’ll be in a good place. We have enough here. Just play with energy, play with a high spirit, do the things we can control. Of course, not having bodies out there is bad, but we have enough. Control what we can control.”
Donovan used 10 players in total with Patrick Williams, Dalen Terry, Jevon Carter, Kevin Huerter and Ayo Dosunmu coming off the bench. Getting contributions throughout the roster is going to be important as the Bulls face a stretch of six games in nine days, starting on Friday. Cowley notes that roles and responsibilities could change from night to night depending on the opponent.
“It’s a results-oriented business, but I look at it as a 48-minute game,” Donovan said. “Can we play to an identity covering for each other on defense, helping each other on offense, moving the basketball, playing the right way, not turning it over? To me, there are certain things we can do as a basketball team. Are we good enough to actually overcome and go win games? It remains to be seen, but I know if we don’t do those things, we have no chance.”
There’s more from Chicago:
- Cowley points out that White began to feel tightness in his right calf after he played in back-to-back games over the weekend for this first time this season. The medical staff might keep him out of those situations once he returns. ‘‘That’s been a topic of conversation,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘That was the first back-to-back he played. He came out of it fine, but they are trying to go through every minute detail that he does every single day.’’
- In a separate story from Cowley, Donovan discusses the “30,000-foot view” that executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas has of the team’s injury situation as opposed to his mandate to try to win every game. Donovan also indicated that the Bulls don’t appear to be close to making any deals with the deadline five weeks away. ‘‘In the conversations I’ve had with Arturas, we have not talked about the trade deadline at this point in time at all,’’ Donovan told reporters. ‘‘I would say that I don’t know how other teams evaluate it. The guys you are bringing up, are they in contract years? Is there a dive they do in their history? Some of these guys, you’re right, have been set back with some injuries. I don’t know necessarily how much it does or doesn’t hurt.”
- Buzelis talks about the thrill of draft day in the latest edition of “Journey to the CHI” on Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link). “As soon as I found out the Bulls were picking me … It was honestly the best day of my life,” the second-year forward said.
Trade Rumors: Sexton, Wolves, Pelicans, Hawks, Bagley
Although the Hornets are willing to discuss potential trades, they still hope they can contend for a play-in spot and aren’t looking to simply sell off veterans, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). According to Fischer, veteran guard Collin Sexton and his expiring $19MM contract looks like Charlotte’s most logical trade candidate.
Minnesota is one team that has done its homework on Sexton, Fischer says, explaining that the Timberwolves appear to be trying to get a sense of their range of options at the point guard spot as they seek an upgrade on their current options. While sources tell Fischer that the Wolves are adamant about not including budding star Jaden McDaniels in any deals, rival executives suspect the back-to-back conference finalists will be more aggressive on the trade market than most other Western contenders.
As Fischer explains, teams like the Thunder, Nuggets, Rockets, and Spurs aren’t considered likely to make in-season splashes, so the only other club currently in the top six of the West that figures to be actively seeking meaningful upgrades is the Lakers. And it remains to be seen whether they’ll be able to acquire the sort of three-and-D player they’d love to add.
Here are a few more NBA trade rumors:
- As coveted as Pelicans forward Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy III are, sources believe they’re unlikely to be moved at the trade deadline, writes Brett Siegel of Clutch Points. Rival scouts view Jose Alvarado, Saddiq Bey, Jordan Hawkins, and Jordan Poole as New Orleans’ more likely trade candidates, in that order, per Siegel.
- Although the Hawks have checked in on Mavericks big man Anthony Davis, there has been no momentum in those talks and there’s a sense that Atlanta is more likely to target a lower-salary replacement if the team builds a deal around Kristaps Porzingis‘ expiring contract ahead of the deadline, says Siegel. One hypothetical proposal put forth by league personnel would see the Hawks target a package like Nikola Vucevic and Coby White from the Bulls, though there’s no indication that the two teams have explored that sort of trade, Siegel clarifies, noting that it’s just an example of the type of move that would likely appeal more to Atlanta than going after someone like Davis.
- Siegel singles out Wizards big man Marvin Bagley III as a player to watch ahead of the deadline, writing that he has begun generating interest from teams looking to fortify their frontcourts.
Jaren Jackson Jr., Jalen Brunson Named Players Of Week
Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. and Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson were named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the NBA (Twitter links).
This marks the second career Player of the Week award for Jackson, who averaged 27.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.7 blocks in 32.7 minutes per game and led Memphis to a 2-1 record during the week of December 15-21.
Jackson recorded a season-high 31 points and five blocks in the Grizzlies’ 121-103 road win last Monday against the Clippers and followed that with 28 points, a season-high 12 rebounds and three blocks in Memphis’ 116-110 road victory on Wednesday against Minnesota.
Brunson racked up 31.3 points, 8.0 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game as the Knicks went 2-1 after their NBA Cup triumph. He had 47 points in the Knicks’ 132-125 win over Miami on Sunday.
It’s the second major individual award for Brunson over the past week. He was also named the MVP of the NBA Cup. He also becomes the first two-time Eastern Conference Player of the Week this season, having also earned the honor on December 1.
Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe (Trail Blazers), Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert (Timberwolves), Keyonte George (Jazz), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) and Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) were the other nominees for the Western Conference Player of the Week award.
Cade Cunningham (Pistons), Josh Giddey and Nikola Vucevic (Bulls), Kon Knueppel (Hornets), Tyrese Maxey (Sixers) and Derrick White (Celtics) were the other nominees in the East.
Bulls Notes: Buzelis, Collins, Smith, Dosunmu, Jones, Vucevic
Limited options have forced Billy Donovan to use Matas Buzelis at power forward, but the Bulls coach has been finding ways to move him back to his natural position of small forward, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times (subscription required). Buzelis continued to start at the four in Friday’s win at Cleveland, but he saw time at both spots as Donavan employed a double-big lineup for much of the game.
“In fairness to Matas, there are matchups that are tough,” Donovan said. “He’s a second-year player that’s only going to get stronger, bigger and as he matures those matchups will be probably easier physically. When he is having to go hypothetically against a Julius Randle or a (Evan) Mobley, someone like that, those guys are playing close to the basket and they’re really physical. Those are tough matchups for a second-year player like Matas. So if you can get him to the small forward for some of the game — not all of the game — I don’t mind playing Matas with two bigs. I never looked at Matas as a big.”
Donovan has been experimenting with the two-center approach recently, often teaming up Zach Collins and Jalen Smith or putting one of them on the court alongside Nikola Vucevic. Cowley notes that he tried a jumbo lineup on Friday, playing Buezelis and Patrick Williams together along with two big men.
Buzelis told reporters he prefers being a small forward, but said he’ll handle whatever assignment Donovan gives him.
“Wherever he puts me I’m going to do my best and try to work it out,” Buzelis said. “But I do feel comfortable when the two bigs come in. It’s not really a problem for me. Wherever he puts me I’m going to try and make something happen.”
There’s more on the Bulls:
- Collins and Smith have complementary skills that are vital in making the two-big strategy effective, Cowley states in a separate story. “I think the coaches have done a better job of making it so when we’re out there, we know what our roles are, both of us,” Collins said. “Him to space more and me to be more around the rim, and then just constant conversation between me and (Smith). Those are the roles we want to stick to, but there are opportunities where if he’s ahead of the ball, he can run and I can space, and we’ve just tried to keep the communication. That’s the biggest difference.”
- Apart from first-round pick Noa Essengue, who underwent season-ending shoulder surgery two weeks ago, the Bulls had a fully healthy roster on Friday, Cowley adds. Ayo Dosunmu and Tre Jones were both listed as questionable coming into the game, but they were able to play on minutes restrictions.
- Vucevic admits being “definitely frustrated, mainly at me” as he and the team swooned after a fast start, but he’s looked more like the early-season version of himself lately, Cowley relays in another piece. After delivering 24 points and 15 rebounds on Friday, Vucevic said the Bulls benefited from a relaxed schedule while the NBA Cup was being decided. “Those (days off) after Cup play were huge,” he said. “We were able to regroup, and it also helped me refresh a little bit, recalibrate and just play my game.”
Bulls Notes: Vucevic, Buzelis, Trade Talk, Season Outlook
After starting the season on a five-game win streak, the Bulls have cooled off significantly and enter Wednesday’s contest against the Cavaliers having lost eight of their last nine games. Notably, the one win in that span, a 129-126 victory over the Hornets, was punctuated by starting center Nikola Vucevic being benched for the final 19 minutes of play in favor of Zach Collins and Jalen Smith.
According to Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune, that decision only underscored one of the prevailing questions of the season: what the 35-year-old Vucevic is doing with this young Bulls team that favors a fast and frenetic style, as opposed to his slower, more deliberate pace.
“Those questions do creep into your mind and you think about it and you get caught into it, especially when things are not going well,” Vucevic said. “I think it’s natural, it’s human nature, but you just have to find a way to limit it as much as possible.”
The Bulls still need Vucevic, Poe writes, but that win over Charlotte could help them picture a world in which the team’s longtime center isn’t starting anymore. However, according to coach Billy Donovan, there are no changes on the immediate horizon.
“I wouldn’t want to take one game and sit there and say, ‘OK, after one game, we’re going to change everything,’” Donovan said. “I don’t think that would be fair.”
As Poe notes in a separate article, Donovan returned to his usual big man rotation down the stretch of Chicago’s next game, a 114-104 loss to the Pelicans, keeping Vucevic on the floor while Collins and Smith were limited to 12 and 13 minutes, respectively.
We have more on the Bulls:
- Matas Buzelis has been tasked primarily with guarding bigger forwards for the first part of the season, but Donovan’s willingness to utilize two-big lineups could result in the second-year forward defending more on the perimeter in games to come, writes Kyle Williams of the Chicago Sun-Times. “I think Matas has the foot speed and length to be able to do that,” Donovan said. “Certain guys will be a little bit more dynamic and [a] little bit more challenging, but I feel pretty confident with his foot speed and his length that he can guard multiple positions.” Williams notes that, according to Donovan, any defensive change along those lines wouldn’t impact how Buzelis is used offensively.
- Despite public assurances from VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas that the Bulls plan to keep Coby White, there are questions within the organization around whether the team will be willing to pay the guard when he hits unrestricted free agency next summer, Poe writes in a trade-season-centered article. If Chicago isn’t planning on signing White to a deal similar to the one Josh Giddey got last summer, the best move would be to shop him now, Poe opines. The Bulls under Karnisovas have been tentative when it comes to in-season deals, Poe adds, but failing to improve the roster either in the short or long term would be a major misstep by the front office.
- After deciding to run it back this fall after a strong 20-game finish to last season, the Bulls should view their more recent 5-15 stretch as evidence to tank, suggests Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. According to Cowley, given that the Bulls don’t have a “real” All-Star and aren’t considered a desirable free agent landing spot, a full tank is needed ahead of the loaded 2026 draft. Otherwise, Cowley says, the team will once again end up in a worst-of-all-worlds middle zone.
Bulls Notes: Vucevic, Collins, Smith, White, Draft Night, Okoro, Jones
Nikola Vucevic sat for the last 19 minutes of the Bulls’ 129-126 win over Charlotte on Friday, which snapped Chicago’s seven-game losing streak. Head coach Billy Donovan said the decision did not reflect his long-term plans for the center position, according to Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune.
Zach Collins wound up playing 20 minutes, contributing 16 points and eight rebounds, while Jalen Smith logged 17 minutes and grabbed 10 rebounds.
“Whatever the case may be — maybe next game it’s not my night,” Collins said. “Maybe it’s Stix (Smith’s) night closing the game, maybe it’s Vooch’s night. We’ve got really good bigs that can finish games. Now we’re at the point where we can play the 4 and the 5. I just think it’s the tribute to the level of bigs we have that we can mess with the lineups like that.”
Here’s more on the Bulls:
- Amid a report that the Timberwolves have inquired on Coby White, the Bulls guard replied that he’d prefer to stay put, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter links). “I love being here. I love being on this team,” said White, who is in his walk year. “But I understand it’s a business and it’s different going into (unrestricted free agency). They have to do what they think is best for the organization. It’s out of my control.” Johnson notes that while White is definitely on some teams’ radars, there is currently little to no engagement from potential suitors.
- The Bulls have taken some criticisms in the media for not making a trade with the Pelicans on draft night. New Orleans president of basketball operations Joe Dumars surprisingly traded the No. 23 overall pick and an unprotected 2026 first-round pick to the Hawks to move up to No. 13 to draft Maryland big man Derik Queen. However, a high-ranking Bulls official told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that the Pelicans never contacted the Bulls about the No. 12 pick, contradicting Dumars’ subsequent statements. In fact, if New Orleans had presented such a trade, Chicago would have done the deal, Cowley says.
- Smith, Isaac Okoro and Tre Jones were under minutes restrictions on Friday after returning from injuries, according to Poe. Okoro had 15 points in 26 minutes while Jones added six points and five assists in 25 minutes.
Bulls Notes: Jones, Okoro, Smith, Dosunmu, Huerter, More
The banged-up Bulls should get some reinforcements when they take on the Hornets in Charlotte on Friday. Veteran point guard Tre Jones (left ankle sprain) practiced for a second consecutive day on Thursday and said he expects to suit up tomorrow after missing the team’s past three games, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link).
Isaac Okoro (left lumbar radiculopathy) and Jalen Smith (left hamstring strain) also practiced for a second straight day, per Johnson (Twitter link), and have been listed as probable to play on Friday after being sidelined for eight and five games, respectively. Head coach Billy Donovan told reporters that both players will be on minutes restrictions if they’re active.
Chicago is still far from being at full strength. Guard Ayo Dosunmu has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 thumb sprain (Twitter link via Johnson) and won’t make the trip to Charlotte, while sharpshooter Kevin Huerter (left adductor strain) still isn’t practicing and will be out for a fourth straight game on Friday.
Here’s more on the Bulls:
- Donovan still believes the 9-14 Bulls are capable of turning things around without making roster changes, as long as they can get (and stay) healthier, writes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune (subscription required). “We’ve had an enormous amount of injuries,” Donovan said. “Having seven guys (available) is challenging for any team. I always believe that if you’ve got nine or 10 guys that are committed to doing the things necessary, there’s enough in that locker room. I really believe that.”
- Donovan expressed after a blowout loss to Golden State on Sunday that the Bulls players like each other, but haven’t shown that they “love” one another enough to consistently do little things like boxing out and diving for loose balls (Twitter link via Johnson). Asked about his head coach’s comments, Josh Giddey insisted that the Bulls “love each other,” but admitted the team isn’t showing it on the court. “I think we’ve just got to be better at playing for each other,” Giddey said (Twitter video link via Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic).
- According to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, the Bulls’ seven-game losing streak has taken its toll on the team and its chemistry. A source tells Cowley that guard Coby White is among the veterans who are “trying to put out fires and limit finger-pointing while still holding teammates accountable.”
- Donovan pointed to veteran center Nikola Vucevic as another player who is doing what he can to hold the team together, telling reporters on Wednesday that Vucevic asked to meet with him after a recent loss to talk about “areas of improvement” and how he can help the group (Twitter links via Johnson). “When we’re not playing to our identity, that frustrates him,” Donovan said. “When he sees sometimes there’s not carryover from shootarounds to games, that frustrates him. And I want him to use his voice. Vooch holds himself to a high standard but also knows we need everybody.”