It's the dawn of a new era in Chicago Bulls basketball. As such, the new front office must keep its eyes and ears open about anything that might be revolving around the league. Is there a bad contract to take with some picks attached? Is there a disgruntled young player looking for a change of scenery?
Likewise, other teams should also keep tabs on what goes on in the Windy City. All players not named Matas Buzelis, Caleb Wilson, or Dailyn Swain should be available at a reasonable price, and the rest of the league knows it.
Considering that, it's hard to believe the Bulls will be able to hold onto Tre Jones for much longer. If he's stlil a Bull by the start of the season, he will most definitely be traded by the deadline, according to Sports Illustrated's Elias Schuster:
The Bulls should gauge interest for Tre Jones
While not the most athletic player or explosive scorer out there, Jones is a cerebral backup point guard who doesn't make a lot of mistakes or put the ball in harm's way. There's always a market for those guys among contending teams.
Jones can lead a second unit as an extension of the coach on the court. Of course, the Bulls can also benefit from his high basketball IQ and sound decision-making, but he might be more valuable as a trade chip.
The Bulls will likely also get calls about Josh Giddey at some point this season. His situation is a bit more complicated, as he's projected to be a starter and should only be available for a bit of a king's ransom.
His departure would inevitably make Jones all the more valuable for Tiago Splitter team, as he'd probalby have to slide in as the team's starting point guard. But even if that's the case, the Bulls should still field offers for him.
Splitter will most likely put the ball in Swain's and Buzelis' hands early and often next season. Player development will be much higher on the priority list than winning games, and they should be in a position to experiment and figure out what works.
The Bulls' roster is still taking shape, but fans shouldn't get too attached to most of the veterans. Norman Powell, Isaac Okoro, Giddey, Jones, and — hopefully — maybe even Patrick Williams are long shots to finish the season at the United Center.
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