PAX STANDS PAT AT TRADE DEADLINE
VP says injuries have kept Bulls from knowing what roster is capable of doing
It was the last thing the fan base wanted to hear in the third season of the Bulls’ rebuild.
But with the NBA trade deadline coming and going at 2 p.m. Thursday, it’s exactly what they were asked to endure. Further patience.
Vice president of basketball operations John Paxson spoke with the media after the Bulls opted to stand pat with their 19-victory roster and was upfront about why they didn’t try to make even a small trade, let alone a major move.
‘‘Just given the way we have [the roster] right now and the fact we’ve had kind of a disjointed year with the injuries, we weren’t going to trade Zach [LaVine], Lauri [Markkanen], Wendell [Carter Jr.], Coby [White] because we don’t know what we have yet. And we need to see.
‘‘We know ... in this business you win with stars. Every team does. We went into a rebuild [in 2017]. You draft, you hope those guys develop. We’re still trying to get to that phase of being a relevant, legitimate team.
‘‘We had hopes this year. We did not start off the way we thought we would and should have, and then the injuries hit. And we’re sitting here where we are, and it’s not going to get any easier.
‘‘The time after the All-Star break will be us again evaluating who fits going forward. But we have not given up on our young guys. A lot of people make mistakes in this league. I know the balance is not hanging on too long, but it’s also not giving up on guys too early.’’ Coach Jim Boylen was on the same page. ‘‘We weren’t hell-bent on making a deal,’’ Boylen said. ‘‘That wasn’t part of the day for us. We still believe in our young core, we still believe in this group of guys and we’re going to coach them up.’’
But why not move underused Denzel Valentine or veteran Thaddeus Young, who struggled to get consistent minutes before Markkanen’s pelvis injury?
‘‘Denzel’s name came up, but Denzel is still a restricted free agent this offseason, as is Kris Dunn,’’ Paxson said. ‘‘So we still value them.’’
Asked about a market for Young, Paxson replied, ‘‘No, no.’’
Young, however, said he spoke with his agent throughout the day and was told multiple teams were interested in him. That doesn’t mean they talked about a deal with the Bulls, but Young said he was surprised the team was quiet on deadline day.
‘‘Whatever happens, happens,’’ Young said. ‘‘For me, whatever team I’m on at the time, my job is to go out to play.’’
According to Paxson, Markkanen, Carter (right ankle) and Otto Porter Jr. (fractured left foot) are expected back by the end of February or the beginning of March. That will leave the front office 20-plus games to get a better feel of what it has and what it needs.
That time will be crucial, especially considering a weaker-than-usual draft class and a relatively unimpressive free-agent class.
That means Paxson will have to walk away from the final six weeks sold on the core and, more important, believing the core has started to impress the rest of the league.
‘‘What we have said is that we’ve been trying to put together a very competitive team that you would hope players would want to come play for,’’ Paxson said. ‘‘Right now we’re not where we want to be in that regard, and that’s an honest answer.’’