It only feels right that the Chicago Bulls’ first game after the trade deadline will pit them against the new-look Golden State Warriors. After weeks upon weeks of rumors connecting the Western Conference squad to Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, they snubbed the Bulls in favor of their former franchise centerpiece.
I’m sure most of us expected Butler to come out motivated, but kicking off this new era where it all started makes me even more concerned about how ugly tonight’s game could get.
Of Course Jimmy Butler is Expected to Make His Warriors Debut in Chicago One of the Chicago Bulls’ biggest trade deadline moves wasn’t a trade at all! The organization signed Lonzo Ball to a two-way extension despite plenty of interested parties around the league. Nonetheless, whether or not Ball will be able to celebrate that extension on the court tonight is up in the air. The guard missed practice on Friday, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network, and is listed as questionable on today’s injury report due to an illness. Not a great matchup to be missing arguably your best perimeter defender! We are bound to see at least a few of the Bulls’ new faces at the United Center tonight. While Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter, and Zach Collins were all in the building for the Bulls’ surprising win over the Miami Heat, they remained in street clothes as possible trades still loomed. At first, all signs pointed toward at least one of them being rerouted to a new team, but we all know how the rest of the deadline shook out for Arturas Karnisovas. Billy Donovan will now have quite the challenge ahead of him as he tries to divvy up all these minutes. Player development needs to remain a priority, but the front office will also want to get a closer look at some of these new pieces as they decide who stays and who goes in the offseason. So who are these new faces? Well, Tre Jones easily has the most potential of the three. Before he saw his role diminished on a crowded Spurs roster, the fifth-year pro averaged 11.4 points, 6.4 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.2 steals over his previous two seasons. He is a true, pass-first point guard with a very high basketball IQ. Unlike Josh Giddey, who we all know can dazzle with his passing, Jones has been extremely good at limiting his turnovers. He also might only stand six-foot-one, but he is a willing and pesky defender who can provide a level of ball pressure the Bulls don’t necessarily have in the backcourt.In the lab with some new faces. pic.twitter.com/DrNPnLqPvs
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 7, 2025 The only problem for Jones is that his three-point jumper has never come into form. He’s shot only 30.2 percent from downtown on low volume over his career, and there is no doubt this has held him back from becoming the starting-level guard some thought he could be. At the same time, he is an above-average finisher at the rim and is sneaky good at getting to the free-throw line. I have to imagine Billy Donovan will want to find Jones consistent minutes to finish out this 2024-25 season, but it’s not going to be easy with SIX other backcourt players on the roster. Also, as much as I like Jones, I’m not sure he sticks around past this summer. He is the only player out of the three to be on an expiring deal. Kevin Huerter is probably the most well-known of the newbies. He got his start with the Atlanta Hawks before ending up in Sacramento, where he spent the last three seasons. Huerter is your traditional three-point specialist. He’s shot 37.5 percent over his career on 5.6 attempts per game, but he has now put together back-to-back underwhelming seasons. After shooting 36.1 percent last year, he is down to just 30.2 percent this season while averaging a career-low in minutes. When we consider he’s owed nearly $18.0 million next season … that just isn’t going to cut it. Nevertheless, it’s going to be in the Bulls’ best interest to throw him out there in hopes of building up his stock. If he can start to look more like the consistent shooter from his Atlanta days, there is a real chance the Bulls could get some value for him in the trade market. © Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images The last new face in the locker room is Zach Collins. Most probably remember him from his Gonzaga days, where he was a dominant two-way big who led the Bulldogs to the national championship game. Unfortunately, these skills struggled to transfer over to the NBA level. One big reason for that has been consistent injury trouble, as he’s only played more than 69 games once since entering the league in 2017-18. To be sure, there is still a world where he becomes a serviceable rotation piece. Collins does move his feet extremely well for a near-seven-footer and can serve as a solid setup man in the middle of the floor. We all know the Bulls like a big man who can pass, and Collins has shown increased potential in that department over the past couple of seasons. After not landing Nikola Vucevic – despite circling back even after the Jimmy Butler trade – the Warriors have handed Quinten Post to a standard NBA contract. The stretch big has shot 37.2 percent from downtown over the last ten games. His emergence likely made it that much easier for them to say no to the Bulls.The Golden State Warriors are converting two-way 7-footer Quinten Post to a two-year standard NBA contract, George Roussakis and Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports told ESPN. Post has emerged as a rotation C for Warriors, averaging 8.4 points and 4.3 rebounds over last 10 games. pic.twitter.com/6nXuP6wVjs
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 7, 2025 A rare big W for the Blackhawks at the United Center last night! Ashton Jeanty reportedly has his eyes on the Chicago Bears. Should Ben Johnson go after the Boise State star?ELSEWHERE AT BN: Check Out BN Fantasy | Subscribe to The BN Newsletter
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