Day: November 29, 2024

Arturas Karnisovas and the Chicago Bulls have expressed to their rival executives with other teams a willingness to discuss Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball in trade scenarios, sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line. LaVine, Vucevic and Ball combine to make nearly $85 million in salary this season.

“Arturas is trying to drive up attention for all of his guys – he’s smart,” said one league figure with knowledge of the Bulls’ thinking. “The fact they were willing to move DeMar and [Alex] Caruso [this past offseason], they’re willing to move anybody [now].”

The Bulls stood pat at least season’s trade deadline despite receiving offers of multiple first round picks from the Golden State Warriors for Alex Caruso, and multiple second round picks from the Philadelphia 76ers for Andre Drummond. The Bulls eventually traded Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Josh Giddey, while Drummond signed with the Sixers as a free agent.

The Bulls’ front office has long had a directive from ownership to try to make the playoffs every year, but that has changed since the end of last season.

“That’s been the mandate for 30 years,” said one player agent.

The Bulls plan on meeting with the representation for both LaVine and Vucevic in December about the Bulls’ approach to the deadline. In order for the Bulls to unload any player, rival teams will be seeking Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips to be included.

LaVine’s trade market is limited. The Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors and Detroit Pistons have had interest in the past, but none are realistic destinations now.

The NBA entered the 24-25 season planning for referees to call fewer fouls as they did during the second half of the 23-24 season. While fouls increased over the first couple weeks of the season, they have dropped since.

“I’m very happy with where we are now,” Monty McCutchen told ESPN this week. “We worked with individuals as we always do. I didn’t get the group together and say, ‘Oh, we’re blowing too many whistles.’ None of that kind of thing took place. Our work though demands that we work towards driving individuals to better performance.”

There has been a dip in free throw rates since the start of the season.

“In the first week to 10 days [the foul] average was higher,” McCutchen said. “But we didn’t see that every game had more fouls. We had some outlying games that may or may not have had more physical play, may or may not have had some individuals that were putting air in the whistle on plays they shouldn’t have. And that’s the work that our group needs to have every year.”

The New Orleans Pelicans and Brandon Ingram reached a stalemate on extension talks this past summer and have also struggled to find a deal with a franchise he is comfortable signing a new contract with, sources tell ESPN. Another complicating factor on an Ingram trade is that the Pelicans will not want to take surplus salary back.

Ingram is on a $36 million expiring contract and recently changed agents.

In 16 games this season, Ingram is averaging 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 33.7 minutes. Ingram has also greatly increased his three-point frequency at 6.7 per game and 36.4 percent efficiency. Ingram made one All-Star Game in 2020.