As we anxiously cross our fingers for more Chicago Bulls trades before tomorrow’s deadline, the rest of the NBA stays busy. News broke on Wednesday morning that the team up north has struck a rather significant deal. Long-time Bucks forward Khris Middleton has been sent to the Washington Wizards as part of a package for Kyle Kuzma.
Full trade details can be found here.
New Bulls taking in intros pic.twitter.com/wSVIL0TW2h
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) February 5, 2025 Speaking of last night’s victory, the young guys looked hungry to start a new era. Facing off against a solid and always well-coached Miami Heat team, the Bulls had four players (Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey, Coby White, and Ayo Dosunmu) finish with 20+ points and shot 52.7 percent from the field. The Heat held a three or four possession lead for most of the game, but the Bulls always felt within striking distance thanks to their tempo and unselfishness. Did they benefit from Miami going cold in the fourth quarter with a 7-24 shooting display? Absolutely, but it was still encouraging to see the Bulls’ youngsters take full advantage of that opportunity. Josh Giddey, in particular, deserves a lot of credit for his play down the stretch. He scored 12 points in the final quarter on 4-6 shooting from the field and 3-4 at the free throw line. The jumbo guard repeatedly got into the teeth of the Heat defense and used his six-foot-eight frame to finish over defenders. Giddey is never going to be the most explosive guard on the floor, but he has a rare size advantage that I still feel like he doesn’t use often enough. Let’s see if that can change over these final couple of months, where he should have the ability to take on a bigger scoring role. THE MATAS BUZELIS ERA IS HERE! The rookie scored a career-high 24 points against Miami on a perfect 10-10 shooting from the field. According to Bulls PR (via K.C. Johnson), he joins only five other rookies to ever record 10+ made field goals with a 100 percent success rate. See what happens when you let him play for more than 20 minutes, Billy!Great stat from Bulls PR: Matas Buzelis became the 1st rookie in Bulls history to log 10+ FGM while shooting 1.000 FG%.He is 1 of 6 NBA rookies ever to tally 10+ FGM on 1.000 FG% (B. McKinney, J. Boone, D. Collison, J. Meriweather, D. Rodman).
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) February 5, 2025 Whether it be his Slam Dunk Contest invite or 41 blocks on the season (which leads the Bulls), we have been given reasons to believe Buzelis has the combination of instincts and athleticism to be at least a role player in this league. But last night demonstrated why he was once talked about as the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. He has arguably the most versatile offensive skillset of any rookie in the league. We know he is a threat to throw down a lob, but last night we watched him attack the rim off the dribble, splash catch-and-shoot threes, and finish strong off a slip screen. Few players with a six-foot-ten frame can handle the rock and score at all three levels. To be sure, I’m not saying Buzelis can do that at this point in time, but he undoubtedly has the potential. The fact we can say that before he even goes through one full summer of NBA-level conditioning is so dang exciting. Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are together again …the bros are back together ?? pic.twitter.com/2aH20vBSgN
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) February 5, 2025 Fans started to sharpen their pitchforks after a Billy Donovan quote started to circulate online. The Chicago Bulls head coach insisted that he wanted to be a part of the organization’s rebuild, but he was also brutally honest about how much is still unknown regarding the franchise’s next steps. Here is what Cody Westerlund of 670 The Score shared:“Clearly, we’re making a shift,” Donovan said. “I want to be part of building something. But what direction are we going and how are we going to build it and what we are going to do? I don’t think anybody inside the organization has those answers right now just because I don’t know if anything is totally complete at this point.”
I completely understand what Donovan is trying to say here. The Bulls are still in the process of selling off pieces and shifting their organizational philosophy. It’s true that they have a lot of questions that need to be answered. At the same time, for a team that has been painfully directionless in recent years, words have to be chosen a little more carefully. The Bulls need to be extra sensitive about relaying a message to fans about how they plan to navigate this rebuild. Even if they don’t have ALL the answers right now, they must have some. If the Bulls trade Stacey King … we riot.We got traded to the Shanghai Sea Lions for a case of Fanta Peach and a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos ??? t.co/FeKfPLi6PF
— Stacey King (@Stacey21King) February 5, 2025 One last game before the trade deadline! The Bulls will head to Minneapolis for a meeting with the Timberwolves, who will be without both Donte DiVincenzo and Julian Randle. Can they pull off another surprise victory or will Anthony Edwards eat their perimeter defense alive? Also, keep an eye out for any last-second scratches or condensed minutes. Lots of trade talks around the league will be happening as this game tips off.Let's keep it going in Minny.⏰: 7:00 pm CT ?: t.co/dLgvAjfc2T ?: @670TheScore pic.twitter.com/psYfDvl0EA
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 5, 2025 So it sounds like Saquon Barkley was almost a Bear. Honestly, I’m happy he didn’t have to deal with this broken offensive line. We didn’t need the Bears shattering Caleb Williams and Barkley’s confidence! Tab goes over some of the results from the NHL’s latest player poll. Read about that here.ELSEWHERE AT BN: Check Out BN Fantasy | Subscribe to The BN Newsletter
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Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Bucks Talked LaVine, Matas Buzelis Doesn’t Miss (Literally), That One Billy Donovan Quote, and Other Bulls Bullets )
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