A recent report indicated that Utah Jazz point guard Ricky Rubio may be drawing trade interest from the Chicago Bulls who are lacking in veteran leadership.
Outside of the playoffs, to me one of the most exciting times of the NBA season is the trade deadline. Speculation and rumors run rampant while teams aim to bulk up for the postseason or pivot their strategy for future seasons. Such certainly applies to the Utah Jazz, who have already been pinned to some substantial rumors already including having interest in Mike Conley of the Memphis Grizzlies and Otto Porter of the Washington Wizards.
But not only will the Jazz be looking outward to see how they may potentially be able to improve their team between now and the conclusion of the regular season, but it’s entirely possible that GM Dennis Lindsey will be fielding phone calls from teams looking to capitalize on some of Utah’s meaningful assets. According to a recent report, one such team that might be looking to engage with the Jazz is the Chicago Bulls.
Now, we all know that the Bulls aren’t too high on collecting victories this season as they’re in the midst of a hefty rebuild and most certainly lottery-bound. However, their trade deadline focus very much will be and should be planning for the future.
And it appears that their interest in the Jazz has to do with exactly that, but it starts internally with a need to bring in a veteran presence to help point guard Kris Dunn. Per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Bulls are not pleased with Dunn’s progress and believe that bringing in a proven vet to push Dunn could help him reach the next level.
He further added that Chicago is “focusing on veteran point guards who are going to be free agents this offseason and deemed fiscally responsible for some summer shopping”. The two names that were listed that fit that category for the Bulls were Darren Collison of the Indiana Pacers and none other than the Utah Jazz’s very own Ricky Rubio.
The Bulls don't comment on rumors and outside talk, and aren't changing their stance on Dunn, but showed their hand a bit this summer. https://t.co/niQF5XVVzQ
— Joe Cowley (@JCowleyHoops) January 31, 2019
The Bulls’ tactic in looking at players such as those makes perfect sense. They’re a young team with little leadership, and adding some solid veteran presence, particularly ones that are on expiring contracts and thus come at no risk such as is the case with Rubio, could help them immensely in the future.
From a Jazz perspective, it’s not hard to see how Rubio could very well be on the trade block. He’s a stand-up guy and for the most part well-liked by Jazz fans, but his erratic play, lack of shooting prowess and troubling inconsistency have made him somewhat of a questionable fit for the Jazz. An upgrade at point guard could very well be in the cards for Utah as it’s a noted weakness for them and they’ve already been connected to early rumors about Mike Conley.
The question, though, is just what might the Jazz want in return from Chicago to make a deal happen? The Bulls aren’t likely to move any of their young studs, and nobody else really makes sense for Utah, in a Rubio swap alone at least.
I suppose perhaps the Jazz could engage with the Bulls for Jabari Parker, if some recent rumors are to be believed, but Utah would have to include another player to make the salaries line up, and I’m still far from convinced that Utah is truly interested in Parker in the least. His hapless defense and shaky attitude make him a worrisome fit at best.
So while the Bulls may very well be looking at Rubio as a potential veteran point guard for their squad, the details seem a little fuzzy on how this would work out in Utah’s favor. Perhaps another team gets involved or the Jazz are comfortable swapping more players to grab Parker and perhaps a second Bulls player, i.e. doing a Rubio and Thabo Sefolosha swap for Parker and Antonio Blakeney.
It still seems far-fetched to me, but with several names on the trade block and teams across the league appearing open to dealing, there could be a lot of opportunities available. As such, expect the Jazz to be diligently probing, and don’t be surprised to hear more about the Bulls looking for ways to get their hands on point guard Ricky Rubio in the coming weeks.