RealGM Basketball Wiretap

21 January 2025

• Matas Buzelis Commits To Slam Dunk Contest

  Matas Buzelis has committed to the 2025 Slam Dunk Contest.

  Buzelis is averaging 4.9 points and 2.6 rebounds in 12.8 minutes over 41 games in his rookie season with the Chicago Bulls.

  Stephon Castle has also committed to participating in the contest.

• Bulls Shopping Patrick Williams Ahead Of Trade Deadline

  The Chicago Bulls have decided to explore the trade market for forward Patrick Williams. The Bulls will shop the fifth-year player head of the February 6 trade deadline.

  Part of Chicago GM Arturas Karnisovas' willingness to find a trade for Williams has been the forward's inability to buy into what the coaching staff has asked of him. Bulls coach Billy Donovan recently said that the team needs to get more out of Williams on a nightly basis.

  Williams is in the first year of a five-year, $90 million contract that he signed this past offseason. He's paid a flat $18 million per season, with a player option his final season in 2028-29.

  This season, Williams has averaged 9.2 points per game. He's shooting a career-worst 37.7% from the field, while averaging a career-low 3.8 rebounds per game.

• Torrey Craig To Be Re-Evaluated In Two Weeks With Right Ankle Sprain

  Torrey Craig was diagnosed with a right ankle sprain and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.

  The 34-year-old is averaging 6.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game this season.

• DeMar DeRozan: Toronto Will Always Be No. 1, But I've Got To Put Chicago Second

  DeMar DeRozan returned to play at the Chicago Bulls on Sunday for the first time since joining the Sacramento Kings during the 2024 offseason. DeRozan spent three seasons with the Bulls and furthered his reputation as one of the best clutch players in the game.

  But DeRozan still puts the Toronto Raptors as first with his nine seasons with the franchise at the start of his career before he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs in 2018 for Kawhi Leonard.

  "Toronto will always be No. 1, first of all," DeRozan said, smiling. "But, I've got to put Chicago second because, mentally, of the space I was in after I got traded (to San Antonio). San Antonio helped my career so much. But, where I was with my joy mentally, I was going through so much stuff personally.

  "So, to kind of have a renewed ambition coming to Chicago... I remember the first meeting I had with (executive vice president of basketball operations ArtÅ«ras Karnišovas) and (general manager) Marc (Eversley). They said, 'Come here and just be you.' For that to translate to me being an All-Star, to doing all the incredible things I did here, it just shows you that if you stay with something, it will repay you. It gave me a renewed ambition coming back here."

  The Bulls were one of the best stories in the NBA during DeRozan's first season before an injury to Lonzo Ball derailed their season.

  "The first moment I came here, I tried to give my all to this organization, to this city. And I think it showed," DeRozan said. "You can't fake it when you're genuinely putting everything into representing the Bulls. I embodied the culture of Chicago, everything. I think when people see that, you get the genuine reaction in return."

• Bulls Discussed Zach LaVine Trades With Nuggets, Lakers

  The Chicago Bulls have made it no secret that they've tried to trade Zach LaVine. Earlier this season, the Bulls held trade talks with the Los Angeles Lakers. Those talks didn't go very far, and with the Lakers having traded D'Angelo Russell to the Brookly Nets, it's unlikely those talks will pick back up.

  Chicago more recently engaged the Denver Nuggets on a possible deal for LaVine. Those talks aren't dead, but they have stalled.

  Meanwhile. LaVine is putting together one of the best seasons of his career. The veteran wing is averaging 23.6 points on 52/44/81 shooting splits. LaVine is also grabbing 4.6 rebounds and dishing out 4.4 assists per night.

• Billy Donovan: Bulls Aren't Discussing Trying To Keep Top-10 Protected Pick

  The Chicago Bulls have a 18-19 record to start a season in which they were widely expected to take a step backward after letting DeMar DeRozan leave in free agency while also trading away Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey.

  With Chicago owing a top-10 pick to the San Antonio Spurs this year, there had been an expectation they would keep the selection with one of the NBA's worst records. Zach LaVine has had a bounce back season even if he continues to remain on the trade block.

  "No one's saying to me, hey, listen, wait a second with this draft pick right now, we need to make sure, it's been always the integrity of competition and playing," Billy Donovan said, "and I appreciate that."

  The Bulls went 40-42 during the 2022-23 season and 39-43 last season.

  "We don't want to be just stuck in the middle.... Absolutely. I don't think there's any question about that," Donovan said.

  "I think the building out part that we got to look at is the totality of our entire team where you're identifying guys that are going to help us maybe get out of the middle and move forward. And I do think that we do have guys on our team that, to me, emulate or model a competitiveness that I like and appreciate."

• Bulls Expected To Deal Nikola Vucevic Before Trade Deadline

  Nikola Vucevic is expected to get dealt by the Chicago Bulls before the trade deadline, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

  The Warriors have emerged as a potential landing spot for Vucevic.

  Lonzo Ball is also likely to be traded by the deadline.

  The Bulls reportedly are finding difficulty generating trade interest in Zach LaVine.

• Bulls To Retire Derrick Rose No. 1 Jersey Next Season

  The Chicago Bulls will retire Derrick Rose's No. 1 jersey next year, the team announced on Saturday.

  Rose was the No. 1 pick in 2008 and played eight seasons with the team. Rose also became the youngest MVP winner in NBA history in 2011.

  No Bulls player has worn the No. 1 jersey since Rose was traded in 2016.

  The Bulls currently have four retired jerseys, including Jerry Sloan's No. 4, Bob Love's No. 10, Michael Jordan's No. 23 and Scottie Pippen's No. 33. They also have banners paying tribute to Phil Jackson and Jerry Krause.

  The Bulls are also hosting Derrick Rose Night on Saturday against the Knicks.

• Warriors Not A 'Viable Option' To Trade For Jimmy Butler, Developing Interest In Nikola Vucevic

  The Golden State Warriors are not looking to trade for Jimmy Butler, sources told Anthony Slater, Sam Amick, and Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic.

  There have been no substantive trade talks between the Warriors and the Heat with the team looking to hold onto Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga.

  The Warriors are looking to make deals for players on mid-tier contracts instead.

  According to sources, Nikola Vucevic has emerged as a trade option for the Warriors.

  Vucevic will make $20 million this season and $21.4 million next year.

  The Bulls are reportedly willing to take back multiple second-round picks in exchange for Vucevic.

• Emanuel Miller, Bulls Agree To Two-Way Deal

  The Chicago Bulls have agreed to sign Emanuel Miller to a Two-Way contract. Miller went undrafted in 2024 out of TCU.

  Emmanuel is averaging 18.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 37.3 minutes in the G League for the Texas Legends.

  Miller also appeared in five Summer League games this year with the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 7.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 21.8 minutes.