The Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz are two teams that started the 2021-22 NBA season off hot, before ultimately cooling down in the latter half of the year.
In the case of the Bulls, it seemed like they just gassed out due to a lot of little injuries and an increasingly difficult schedule.
For the Jazz, it was more of a matter of their two best players openly despising one another.
Because Chicago is largely happy with how things went last season, the front office isn’t looking to lose any core pieces. It simply wants to build around them.
Utah, meanwhile, is clearly seeking out a trade for Rudy Gobert.
Is a swap between these two squads in the cards?
“The Bulls remain invested in finding the optimal frontcourt lynchpin to pair with LaVine and DeRozan,” reported Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.
“Chicago continues to explore the trade market for two-time All-Star center Nikola Vucevic, sources said. It has registered interest in Rudy Gobert, but the Bulls do not appear willing to include Patrick Williams alongside Vucevic in a trade package for Gobert, sources told B/R.”
If a Gobert trade doesn’t ultimately materialize between these two squads, there are two other teams with legit interest in the French big man.
Eventually the Jazz will find a buyer for him.
If Gobert-to-Chicago fails to happen, the Bulls have also recently been linked to a certain big man out in Los Angeles who might be on the trade block if the Lakers don’t figure things out in a hurry.
That’s also a situation to keep a close eye on in the coming weeks and months.
Is Stephen Curry about to lose Finals MVP to Zendaya?https://t.co/NkIySP0My3
— Game 7 (@game7__) June 14, 2022
One way or another, the Bulls are looking to upgrade the roster before the beginning of the 2022-23 season.
Will they ultimately be able to do so?
Time will tell.
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Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.