27 as coach Tyronn Lue moved rookie Kobe Brown into the rotation to infuse youth and athleticism. The 13-year NBA veteran has been a key, big-minute contributor in the last 12 years, but the 2021 NBA champion has been a DNP-CD in the last five games and has not played since Nov. Tucker has expressed frustration about his current situation with the team, and both sides are discussing ways to resolve a role for him there or elsewhere, according to league sources. Caruso, whose $9.9 million deal for next season is partially guaranteed, is averaging 9.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 20 games this season.Īs one high-ranking team official put it last week, “It’s a gradually developing trade market this year.”įorward P.J. The Athletic’s Sam Amick recently reported that DeRozan’s preferred trade destinations are the New York Knicks and Miami Heat if he does end up being dealt.Ī bevy of teams has been expressing interest in trading for Bulls utility star Alex Caruso, league sources say, but the franchise has shut down those calls. And now, as the Bulls have found their stride over the past week and are just one game out of a Play-In Tournament spot, teams will continue to monitor their approach with LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, who will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. The Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers are expected suitors for LaVine, but both are operating from positions of patience and due diligence. All of the wins have come without LaVine, who will miss three to four more weeks to treat right foot inflammation, and interested teams are keeping an eye on LaVine’s health situation and his return to play. The Bulls have won four consecutive games for the first time since February 2022 and are now 9-14. And negotiations with the Raptors will always be, in the words of one rival executive, “a game of chicken.”Įlsewhere in Chicago, as The Athletic reported in mid-November, the Bulls are expected to continue probing interested teams on a Zach LaVine trade. How will the Raptors’ front office handle two big-time free-agents-to-be this time around?Īround the league, many expect the Raptors to scan their options up until the trade deadline. They ultimately lost guard Fred VanVleet for nothing as a free agent to the Houston Rockets. For the Kings, a better start to this season than a year ago (12-8 this season compared to 11-9 last season en route to a 48-win campaign) provides confidence that they can grow internally rather than compete for the expected cost of talents such as Siakam and Anunoby.Ī season ago, the Raptors elected to play through a trying campaign and forge ahead with efforts to compete come playoff time. The Hawks held intense conversations with the Raptors surrounding a Siakam deal over the offseason, as The Athletic reported, and the Pacers and Kings have both checked in and engaged at different points with Toronto over the last year. Siakam, 29, is earning $37.9 million in the last year of his Raptors contract this season while Anunoby, 26, has a $19.9 million player option for next season that he will almost assuredly decline to enter free agency. Teams such as the Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers are expected suitors for Siakam or Anunoby but believe Siakam appears to be the likelier player to be dealt, league sources tell The Athletic. “There’ll be no selfishness this year,” Ujiri said before training camp. There has been a strong belief in the trio of Barnes, Siakam and Anunoby across every level of the organization, and officials were confident a new style of play would lead to more success and victories. Under new coach Darko Rajaković, the Raptors hoped a more team-first, free-flowing style would lead to success. 8 deadline.īarnes has been deemed untouchable in any trade conversations, league sources say. But Toronto has lost three games in a row, stands 9-13 on the season and has left teams believing that now, more than ever, either Siakam or Anunoby could be traded by the Feb. Raptors president and vice chairman Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster have stuck with their talented core of Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby over the past three seasons. As buyers and sellers slowly reveal themselves, teams are keeping close tabs on the Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls.
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