Latest Bulls Trade Deadline Buzz w/Bulls Beat Writer Julia Poe

Latest Bulls Trade Deadline Buzz w/Bulls Beat Writer Julia Poe

Welcome in everyone you’re listening to Bull Central uh I’m joining me today by a very special guest a firsttime guest uh to the channel uh she’s done a number of different roles in the field of sports journalism from covering the uh Orlando Sentinel editor for the uh daily

Trojan now you know her for her great work uh and covering our very own Chicago Bulls for the Chicago Tribune uh it’s my pleasure to welcome to the show uh Julia po Julia uh thanks for uh making the time and appreciate you coming on yeah thanks for having me on

Uh now if you’re not already uh be sure to give Julia a follow at by Julia po it’s it’s pronounced po correct yes yeah just want to make sure check out all the great work that she’s doing over the Chicago Tribune uh now Julia whenever I have guests on there are obviously so

Many topics that I want to cover because really there endless amounts of things to talk about when it comes to this team um we can talk about last night’s game against the Lakers even though it was a bit uneventful um we’ll talk about the bull season overall today what to expect

For the rest of the year but given the NBA trade deadline is now two weeks away I want to start there uh and I’ll start with the most obvious player uh it’s been really on everyone’s mind as we get closer to the deadline and that’s Zack

LaVine uh Zach in his Camp as well as the Bulls at the start of the season I think it was around mid November or so it was reported that both sides were open to finding a new home uh despite all the rumors and speculation all of us fans putting together our fake proposals

In the trade machine uh here we are recording this on the morning of January 26 uh Zack leine Still Remains a member of the Chicago Bulls U now we did get some rumbling yesterday uh as first reported by James Edwards who covers the Pistons that there have been discussions

With the Bulls and the Pistons centered around a trade for Zack LaVine uh where the Bulls are seeking Boya bogdanovich and one of Kade Cunningham Jaden Ivy uh Jaylen Duran and assur Thompson if I’m not mistaken I know you put out an article shortly after this news broke

But in your view are there any legs or potential uh of a deal like this actually coming to fruition yeah I think this is the big problem with the Zach situation just at large right is that the Bulls know what they want to do they know that they have a certain bar that

They want to clear and as far as anyone one can tell no one is interested in meeting that far at least as of yet obviously these last two weeks before the deadline are going to be the ones that have some of the most like wheeling and dealing like this is when you get

Things done this is when time starts becoming a little bit of a hand up for some people because you can you know start leaning on some pressure be like we have to get something done by the deadline but I think that’s the big issue that the Bulls are stuck in right

Now it’s kind of twofold one is just the reality of the size of that contract the move that you have to make you’re so tied in with that that you know just numbers wise you got to have a certain amount of contracts going in and out

Then on top of that I think the the general vibe that we’ve gotten from the front office from the start and I think this has been sharpened over time is that this is not a situation where they’re like fine let’s just get rid of them let’s just dump them and go and not

Care like they invested in Zach they still believe that Zach is a high quality player he’s still very locked in as far as any of us have seen with trying to contribute in the meantime his body is just not working with him and so you’re kind of left with this situation

Where they’re not willing to just take that next step by any means necessary it has to clear a certain bar and so I think that’s kind of where you’re seeing that not line up with at least at this moment what the market demands I think as you get closer some of these teams

Like Detroit maybe get a little bit more desperate or vice versa but right now they’re kind of holding fast and true on that so what’s the latest your hearing from your connections on the league on the status of Zack Laine any potential trade deal that’s getting done or

Discussed even outside of just you know what’s been most recently reported around the Detroit Pistons definitely so nothing more uh recent than Detroit I think the the same reporting that I’ve been having for the last few weeks still holds true that the Bulls are willing to

Pick up the phone hear out deals on basically anything obviously a lot are not going to meet the muster of like a serious conversation they’ve been trying to have those conversations since last fall like they are working toward it moving toward it and there just is not a

Lot of traction anywhere like you know how there’s always kind of the delineation of preliminary conversations serious conversations Etc it’s not getting past preliminary as far as anyone seeing and I think obviously two weeks this is crunch time but I do think that that is a little bit of a concern

That there’s a high likelihood that Zach could remain in Chicago after the trade deadline and do you think that it’s not getting past preliminary conversations because the Bulls are valuing Zach a little too highly or they’re they’re wanting too much in in a return I think it’s so hard to tell

Because I think that there is personally a value to like obviously the the market will be so different this summer and to a certain extent with where this team’s at right now I’m not looking at this group and saying okay you move Zach you get whatever players you’re getting and

Then all of the sudden this goes from a playin team to a playoff team so it’s like what are what are you moving with urgency for and I think the issue here is that because uras and the front office have not made Moves last trade atline didn’t make moves the trade

Deadline behind that I think that’s where fans start feeling bad about this current status is based on the past not based on the actual like negotiating tactics of right now I think it would be really tough to give up your maximum contract player who you’ve invested in this long for too

Little I I do think that that would not be a move especially given that like this season I just do not see being a deep legs deep playoffs season even if they do make some big trade um so I think that’s where I kind of come for it

I think there’s probably a little bit of both I think maybe they’re valuing him a little bit too high I think schemes are really bulking at the size of the contract I mean that’s just that’s just numbers again that’s tough but I do see the value of not just immediately

Dumping uh you know this this high quality player it just happens that the timing of it is really tough especially with him being in and just not looking good when he’s been on the court the majority of the Season yeah you know it for me when I saw the reports come out

And again you know don’t know as far as how much uh in terms of the overall validity to it right but if the Bulls are actually requesting you know one of the four guys from the Detroit Pistons the younger guys it made me think you know maybe this is why we haven’t really

Been seeing too many trades from the Bulls it’s not that they’re just not having any conversations it’s just that they’re asking price PR is incredibly high and not just you know from this season but the prior deadline the deadline before that um I think that’s what’s been you know irking most bans

It’s like hey you know we’re kind of seeing the same thing over the last three years and no changes are being made and so it begs the question does the front office need to start lowering their overall asking price you know as as a result of it um I did want to shift

To Dear de Rosen just for a second because you know dear has also come up in trade rumors as well not as much but you know various teams reported being interested in him if the Bulls make him available uh obviously dear is set to become an unrestrictive free agent if

The Bulls don’t reach an extension with him before the summer uh have the Bulls made Demar available in a trade like we keep hearing well these teams would be interested in dear if the Bulls are looking to trade him but we haven’t really heard anything on the Bulls

Taking or making calls on dear are they maybe prioritizing keeping him around and extending him I definitely think that they would be prioritizing prioritizing two things first this front office really likes dear um I think anyone that works around him would just really like him you see what he does in

That locker room and you you get it after one day of being around that locker room you understand what he can be to that group um so I think extension talks still remain a a heavy priority for them I think that they would like to be able to maintain that as the status

Quo in Chicago I think the other thing too is that as far as the general gist that I’ve gotten is that our touris likes to be very purposeful and to take steps at a time and obviously when you’re in a trade market you got to pick up calls you got

To take interest and kind of gauge the market but I don’t think there would be a trade deadline scenario where he’s like wheeling and dealing and he’s sending out Zach and dear and making like like I don’t think this is going to be a multiple move deadline I think he’d

Like to move Zach see what the group looks like with Demar and Kobe basically at the center and then move from there and kind of make decisions from there and obviously if you get up against the deadline and Zach’s not moving then maybe you have to course correct but

Right now I just don’t see there being a scenario where they’re sending a bunch of these guys out for bringing a bunch back in and basically doing like a retool or a restructure it’s more of just that that one initial move and then like okay let’s see what we think and

What we like here has there been any indication on your end as far as what they would want to see from a return for Mar rozan if they are looking to maybe trade him well I think the reason that we haven’t seen an extension signed yet

At least is because you know Demar is chasing probably the highest level of compensation he could get sure and I don’t even know if it’s a no from the Bulls but again it’s it’s that very um methodical thinking thing where it’s like we need to be as flexible as

Possible and maybe we do get past the trade deadline even and we look at it and we’re like you know what no that veteran leadership is our number one priority I mean he still looks as consistent as he’s been the way that he’s adapted his game this year the way

That he commands that younger group like it’s it is very important to whatever limited success this group has had I think they just have to look at like okay what contracts are we even working in and how do we do that knowing that they like to navigate under the luxury

Tax I think that’s more of where they’re trying to navigate is having as much flexib ility as possible but they value dear so highly I just don’t see that changing a ton um again trade deadline can get wonky but that that’s kind of where I see it right now and I think you

Know the other piece is depending on what happens with Zack LaVine that’ll kind of dictate extension talks with dear right because if you trade Zack LaVine you bring on an expiring contract that frees up a lot of space um in terms of what you’re able to do and still

Remaining under the luxury tax for for Demar extension um let’s talk about Alex cruso for a little bit yeah uh I guess this is just going to be strictly a trade deadline podcast everyone uh but Caruso uh arguably the Bull’s most impactful player when he’s on the court

Had another great game last night against his former team uh defends at a high level this season he’s greatly improved his game offensively especially when it comes to his three-point shooting uh Caruso was in trade rumors last season the Bulls were wanting a lot for him in the trade rumors anyway again

Just rumors uh that Still Remains to be the case today recent reports are saying that hey if the Bulls are going to want to move guso they’re going to want at least two first round picks in return to even consider parting with uh Alex is there validity on that or the bull is

Not even really entertaining any offers uh on AC at this point so I have said this before I truly believe this I think Alex cruso is going to be in trade rumors until like the day that he dies I think that literally until he can’t run anymore there’s going to be a team

Wanting to make a playoff push that’s going to be like I think we could really benefit from Alex kuso and they’re going to be right because I mean he’s just he’s a monster he’s so good at what he does um so I think that’s where you end

Up seeing a lot of this noise is that it’s just logical that teams that would like to upgrade for the playoffs are going to want Caruso and they’re going to make it clear that they would like Caruso and the Bulls are going to be like no because there is that certain

Level of um it’s you know how how much desire there is for him is reflected in I think how they’re going to price him and so it’s it’s more of that where the Bulls know that every time that they get close to the playoffs contending teams would be very willing

To pay a pretty high price tag to upgrade their defense in that way so they’re kind of you know following that supply chain demand uh kind of like payoff if that makes sense so I think I think that’s where that comes from again I have in the same way of how locked in

They are with dear I have not gotten a real sense that they’re interested in moving Cru so and I haven’t gotten a real sense either that Alex is like I need to get to a playoff team right now I I think if it hit that point then

Maybe there would be some changes but he’s just going to be like that he’s just going through brick walls for any team even if it’s just a playin team so I think you know you can tell why they value him so highly well what do you think the Tipping Point is you know

Where it’s like Ah that’s too good of an offer right where we really do do we do need to trade him man I I don’t know I I think um I don’t think we’ve gotten to that point yet I can think of so many um you know I the way this team has

Utilized the draft in the last few years obviously doesn’t really command a lot in my opinion a lot of um uh confidence in even some of those draft picks necessarily being like the Mak or break for the future of this team right and so then it’s like it’s trades that I just

Don’t think teams would be making for players that you know that could really upgrade this this group so it’s it’s an interesting question though clearly we will hit that breaking point at some point or Alex just will decide that he would like to go elsewhere but right now

I I just don’t really see there being a realistic like timeline on that so then so then Julie I guess as a whole when it comes to this trade deadline is what do the Bulls do you know to me this seems like a very pivotal deadline for the

Bulls you know Direction really has to be decided upon these next couple weeks uh we know that this team is not a contending team but they’re not bad enough to be bottoming out where you know certain changes and moves you know they could make could be better but does

It put them in contention no probably not uh so in your view I I guess it’s a two-part question in your view what’s the direction the Bulls should take at the deadline and what directions will the bull direction will the bulls actually make when February 8th rolls

Around yeah it it’s it’s tough I personally would be and this is a by no means a reflection of my opinion on like him as a player or his work ethic or anything like that I think Zach’s been really trying this season uh pretty visibly through a pretty you know tough

Situation but I think you’ve got to figure something out at the deadline for him and I think for me where I would be at and it might not make the most like trade logical sense but I think when you think of teams in like eras and think about

Like being able to close one chapter and start a new one this team knows who the like heartbeat of this team is like they have redefined that this season around a very good player in Kobe white that you can really start building around who’s young and you can see the promise you

Can see the potential in the future and I think as quickly as you can get to that next chapter um there’s it’s not addition by subtraction you need a good deal but I think you need to lower a little bit your expectations of what that good deal is um you can’t just

Stand Pat at another trade deadline and I quite honestly feel that even you know making a buyout signing or making like a smaller trade I think anything that’s not a major trade is still going to feel like standing Pat for the bulls with where they’re at and you kind of dig

Yourself into a whole when you don’t do anything the last two years I don’t even think they were wrong to not do anything that first year but you know you you just kind of get yourself into that position where I think and I don’t think the the locker room needs it there’s no

Sense that get that there is a poor culture or a poor energy in the locker room with Zach around but it’s just you just need to have that focus and until they move on it’s always going to be kind of that split feeling of like okay

Who is the star here who is the center of this team so that would be that would be my priority I genuinely worry and again worry is the wrong word that’s too strong but I I genuinely do think there’s a high likelihood that Zach stays through the trade deadline um just

With where we’re at and I don’t know what you do with that I think I think that’s going to be really really disappointing to fans if that’s how this goes and do you think there’s a possibility that the front office does in fact stand P at the deadline just

Based on everything we we know at this point in time I think it’s it’s so difficult because again I like I said the the general understanding that I’ve gotten is this purposeful wanting to make one move at a time so I don’t know at what point you

Pull the trigger on okay Zach’s not moving we’re four days let’s say hypothetically out from the trade deadline we’ve got to Pivot I just don’t know when that happens and when they shift that gear or if they will um I think it’s always a chance I mean in action is like always a

Chance with this front office I I don’t enjoy saying that but it’s just true I do think that at a certain point they’ve got to look at where they’re at and recognize that like okay we said that if it didn’t work in your three we would make changes and it’s not working in

Year three so we have to make changes and that they would pivot I just don’t know when that Breaking Point happens we haven’t hit it yet as far as I’m aware do you think a loss I was talking about this last night my postgame video do you

Think a loss like last night in a way almost helps that you know because there’s a point right where the Bulls really started making strides in the right direction and they still have been looking a lot better I mean last night’s game aside um where you almost feel like

The front office might be under this false assumption that hey we’re kind of turning a corner maybe we don’t need to make any moves so um do you think a loss like last night and then obviously the collapse against the Suns even though the Bulls played well in that game the

You know the 23 Point blown lead might actually push this a little more to say okay we do need to still focus on making changes and at the deadline not in the off season sure I think I think losses uh leading up to the deadline always

Help you with that I think when I’ve spoken to arur in the past he has talked about not like really fighting recency biased and really trying not to to fall trap into that because I mean we saw the opposite of it in past years where the

Bulls looked so good right up into the trade deadline and then afterward you’re like oh yikes what’s going on um I don’t think individual losses have as big of an impact as you would think because front offices are trying so hard not to let them um I do worry that what ends up

Happening then is that you excuse the losses but the wins still kind of stick with you it’s the hope that kills you you know it just kind of sticks in there I think even that Phoenix game unfortunately was more of a hope moment than anything for them I mean it was a

Great game uh a lot of players looked really good in that game um so yeah I think you know the recency bias is always going to play into it I think the biggest thing that’s kind of an unknown variable there though is that like Zach isn’t playing so either way I think it

Makes it really difficult to draw any conclusions this season thought the team looked really nice with him when he came back for that little stint uh after his injury where he was you know really assist focused and so do you look at that is that your recency bias it’s just

There’s so many parts of this season and I’ve written about this before that you could pull out and say this is who this team is and they’re all so different and I just don’t know which of those streaks the front office is going to pull out

And look at and be like no this is who this team is this is what’s true if that makes sense no it does it does I it’s gonna be interesting right weeks are going to come up and we’ll see the fan reactions I’m sure fans are G to be

Upset no matter what happens it’s just kind of how it is sometimes um let’s shift gears just a little bit away from the trade trade deadline I I did want to ask about Lonzo ball for a minute because I feel like it’s a topic that’s

Likely going to be uh coming up more and more as we get closer to this offseason and going into training camp and whether Lonzo will be able to rejoin the team by then uh we got to see him on the bench last night against the Lakers uh the

Reason I want to ask you is because you recently put out an article for the Tribune that Lonzo has experienced no setbacks in his recovery but still hasn’t quite yet been cleared for uh straightaway Sprints um which kind of to my understanding right has kind of been

To that point every step in lonzo’s recovery where he’s been able to he has not been able to progress beyond that can you elaborate anym if there’s been any further progress on his path to recovery and what it was like for him also to just reconnect with the team

When they came to La yeah it was uh it was cool to see him um it was fun seeing him he was like planted next to dalen for most of that game and Dal Terry is just like the funniest dude ever and every time I looked over Lon it was just

Like cracking up on the sideline at something so it it was good to see you could tell the guys were like really happy to see him um this week was a little unfortunate so both from a reconnecting standpoint and from a a recovery standpoint Lonzo was

Supposed to do two things this week he was supposed to be elevating to the Straight Ahead sprinting this week um and then also he was supposed to be around the team more he was going to be you know like at UCLA at practice Etc

Got the flu uh was not able to be doing anything for like a solid week was barely able to make it to the game last night he wasn’t even feeling super well back morning so that’s just one of those little like human setbacks so um he has

Not progressed up to the sprinting yet but because he got sick not because of Any stepb backs that occurred that also meant that we didn’t get to speak with him which was a little bit of a bummer we were hoping to you know at least hear

From him kind of how things are doing because we get all of our information through Billy Donovan primarily and he’s getting that through Lonzo who’s getting it from his trainers so it’s like a little game of telephone um so we we haven’t heard that latest round of

Updates from him yet but it sounds like he’s been able to do a decent amount of like side to side Mobility a decent amount of um you know kind of getting on the court doing some of that it’s just the the Straight Ahead sprinting has not

Occurred yet do you think uh and I guess it’s the question that’s on everyone’s mind do you think he’ll be able to uh come back and actually be a productive player going into next season or really just in general recover his career right I I sure hope so um Lonzo is such a

Bright um just like really positive solid dude um in the limited amount of interactions I’ve had with him and this has been obviously like very very difficult for him and uh you know just be on the team um it’s so hard to even predict how this

Is going to go when so few people have had this procedure um I’m a huge soccer fan and uh one of the only other three professional athletes who’s had this cartilage transplant who’s like active right now she just retired last week because um you know she gave it a solid

Year and a half um she’s like a high-profile player with the national team and just hit a point where she’s like I just you know I’m pain free but I can’t do much more and I’m paying up the boots and you know you see stuff like that and it definitely makes you wonder

Like okay how well can this work how far can this go but there’s just so few people that have gone through it that like I I don’t even think I’m qualified to to Really predict that I I love hearing that he’s not experiencing pain um you know love hearing that at least

Everyday life is normal for him but I think until until he clears the sprinting we just have no we have we’re you know kind of rudderless here in terms of being able to predict that if he’s able to start sprinting February March like I do think I’m going to feel

More positive than I felt in at least a year about it and you mentioned he because we got the flu right he wasn’t able to to take the next step is is the idea now in the next I don’t know few weeks that they’re gonna attempt that

Anyway yes definitely so he had his first I think yesterday he had his first workout since getting sick and my guess is that they’ll probably ramp him back up first make sure that he’s feeling good doing whatever he was doing prior to getting sick and then they’ll kind of

Start installing that next step up got it you know I was I was thinking about this a few weeks ago I want to get your thoughts on it as well as Bulls fans we’ve kind of been you know Clinging On to this hope that Lonzo you know returning somehow still being the player

That he used to be is going to happen right which I think we all know the end of the day is unlikely going to be the case but maybe it will but one thing I was curious about was with the rise of Kobe white the breakout season that he’s

Been having and really cementing himself as the bull’s starting point guard both for now and for the future should Lonzo come back and let’s say he returns to the same lzo we knew before what does that mean for his role on the team as well as Kobe’s going into next season

What do you think for sure I think that everything that Kobe is doing so incredibly well right now works just as well as an off ball shooting guard like Lonzo Lonzo has never been a um primary scorer point guard he’s always been that facilitator and as good as Kobe has been

As a facilitator we’ve also seen this season that like part of the way they make that work is that dear is assisting more Vu is assisting more like it’s more of a um three or fourman kind of like facilitator uh offense not it’s not like Kobe coming down and then being this

Crazy pass first point guard so I I think that that would actually in some ways be an upgrade for Kobe I think him being able to come down and be the guy to have more catch and shoot opportunities as well I I think it I think there would be a lot of positives

It would definitely be a new step and a new challenge of him figuring out like okay I’ve been able to be the guy because I have the ball in my hands every time I’m bringing it up the court and now how do I initiate that when Lonzo is bringing the ball up and

When he’s initiating the offense but I just with the way Lonzo plays and the way that Kobe plays I don’t see that being a problem I that being just a an adjustment period if anything else um would love would love to see it definitely and so well I guess the other

Problem then is Zack LaVine right so so I guess in this scenario it means Zach is probably not with the team I mean because everyone’s talking about it’s either the deadline or it’s GNA be the offseason right but but I guess in the scenario that would mean that Zach would

Have to be elsewhere yes yeah yeah at that point I think if you’re trying to run an offense where you’ve got Zach Kobe Demar and vu in the starting lineup I mean it’s going to be the smallest team in the NBA uh and B it just that’s just too many cooks in that

Kitchen yeah so uh Julia I’ll get you out here on this one and I know this can be obviously subject to change depending on what the Bulls do at the deadline where do you see the team finishing this season and if it’s the playoffs how far

Are they getting yeah I think that where they are at right now is kind of who this team is I think holding that ninth spot in the East staying just tantalizingly close to 500 but underneath it um and kind of writing that consistently I think we’ll probably

Get a couple little streaks where they flirt with being 500 but I think this team’s probably gonna finish like two or three games below um and then right back to the playin tournament uh I I think my big question is whether they make it out of the playin tournament or not this

Season which they certainly could uh they’ve been really good in the clutch they’ve been good in kind of some of those bigger moments uh and I think the playing tournament pool kind of works to their advantages but yeah I don’t I don’t see this being an outright

Playoffs team I think they’re going to have to get there through the playin um and I don’t think I don’t think it goes beyond first round from there and that’s the thing right it’s like even if they do make the playoffs they get in by way

Of the play and it’s like you’re G to be playing the Celtics with the BS and you’re gonna be able to beat them in a seven game series yeah yeah you’re just you’re yeah yeah it’s it’s uh it’s not I I I just do not see and again this is what I

Was trying out with the trade deadline it’s like what are you working toward what are you going to do at the trade deadline that’s really going to upgrade or change that I just I I don’t really know what the answer is on that but it doesn’t feel like the the identity of

This team this season is is much higher than like I said just that that play in caliber yeah and I think you know as Bulls fans we’re all kind of seeing it too and it’s why we want to see some action come to deadline but we’ll see

Weeks uh we’ll we’ll obviously know what what’s what this team looks like whether or not Zach is still going to be on the team um whether or not some additional moves might potentially be made um but Julia I cannot thank you enough for taking the time out of your day to meet

With me again at such a busy time of the year with the trade deadline approaching uh keep up the great work over at the Tribune I speak for all the Bulls Nation when I say we appreciate you keeping uh the fan base updated and informed um so

Take care and uh best of luck of the rest of the season thank you so much appreciate it all right and thanks for tuning in everyone BS Nation I’ll catch you guys in the next one

One on one interview with Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune as we discuss the latest on the trade deadline as well as the latest on Lonzo’s ball recovery

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