Atop the Bulls priority list on Saturday was taking advantage of a 76ers team minus Joel Embiid (right ankle) patrolling the paint and making life miserable for the entire frontcourt.
That box was checked thanks to 24 points from DeMar DeRozan and another rebounding clinic put on by Andre Drummond as he grabbed 23 boards in the 105-92 win.
The cloud still lingering over this franchise, however, was the immediate future of Zach LaVine and how long he would remain in a Bulls uniform?
A question that wasn’t going away anytime soon thanks to Toronto and New York.
Hours before the Saturday victory over Philadelphia, it was announced that the Knicks sent RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a 2024 second-round pick to the Raptors, getting back OG Anunoby, as well as Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn.
No biggie?
In fact, very big.
Not only did it help two teams that the Bulls will very likely be battling with for playoff positioning, but it also sent a ripple in the trade market and how Zach LaVine might fit into it.
LaVine and his representation made it very clear in November that he would welcome being sent elsewhere, and while sources told the Sun-Times that the front office was looking to move the two-time All-Star, they were finding a market void of a dance partner.
It was reported that the Knicks kicked the tires on LaVine at the trade deadline last season and again this summer, but talks never reached anything serious. The Raptors were also rumored to be sniffing around a deal for LaVine, but sources called that outside noise.
Whatever it was, both teams became very serious on Saturday, and not with the Bulls or LaVine.
So where is the market for LaVine in the wake of the first major deal as the Feb. 8 deadline draws closer? Nowhere. It remains very quiet, and coach Billy Donovan all but confirmed that.
Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley usually let Donovan in the loop when talks start heating up, and there has been no loop to be let into so far.
“I’ve always said this, I don’t think that Arturas and Marc bog me down at all with their phone calls during the course of the day,” Donovan said. “I’ve always told you guys that when something is happening that’s significant in terms of the possibility something happened, there’s always discussions.
“I always view it that the guys that are here are going to remain here. I know that’s an unrealistic viewpoint to have, but I think if I’m looking at, ‘Well, this player can be gone, that player can be gone,’ I don’t know what’s going to happen to the trade deadline. They’ve always been great about including me in those conversations, but I always view that this is our team until something changes, and just focus on it that way.”
Considering LaVine has missed 15 games with the injured right foot and the Bulls (15-19) have gone 10-5 without his services, Donovan is doing his job on that front.
But that doesn’t exactly help increase LaVine’s trade stock, either.
The Bulls lose their max contract player and are a better team because of it? That doesn’t scream hot commodity.
Donovan was asked if he flat-out asked Karnisovas to go ahead and trade LaVine because of how well they’ve played without him, but that’s not how the coach operates.
“I have not had that conversation at all with them about that,” Donovan said. “I think the conversations with Zach’s representation and Zach, and Arturas, that’s pretty much maintained there.
“It’s not like I want to be in the know about all that stuff. (The front office has) been really good about coming to me.”