Seeing a Ball-LaVine combo would be something, giving Chicago some flexibility as far as playmaking chores are concerned. However, it was always believed that New Orleans would unlikely match any huge offers for the second overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft.īall should blend into the system of Bulls head coach Billy Donovan well in what could be an exciting run-and-gun team this 2021-22 NBA season.
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The 23-year-old has shown tremendous strides last season with the Pelicans. With Ball’s entry, the Bulls acquire a legitimate guard who can ease the load off Zach LaVine. However, it remains to be seen if this would be Satoransky and Temple’s last stop, with the Pelicans’ long-term plans on the two players unclear. And the Nets’ chances of faring well in the conference improved on Tuesday.Ĭlick here to follow the Bulls Talk Podcast.Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers during a game against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Jan. The Bulls, of course, lost in five games in the first round to the Milwaukee Bucks.
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The Nets settled for the seventh seed and, after a play-in victory over the Cavaliers, got swept out of the first round by the eventual conference champion Boston Celtics. The Bulls captured two of three meetings against the Nets last season and finished two games ahead of them and in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Furthermore, the Lakers engaged in mostly non-serious trade talks mainly to appease Bryant, who eventually calmed. For starters, Bryant wanted to end up with the Bulls only if Deng played for them. But reports of the Bulls refusing to part with Luol Deng were greatly exaggerated. That time, the Bulls were prominently involved. That’s when Bryant requested a trade but ultimately returned to the Lakers after it was clear that any team that traded for him would be gutted by the return the Lakers rightfully sought. In many ways, the Durant situation mirrors what happened with the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant in 2007. But multiple league executives worked under the impression that this outcome would prevail for now. The Nets did their due diligence with virtually every team in the league regarding potential packages for Durant. Neither is the fact the Bulls didn’t own the proper draft capital to augment any potential offer built around the minimum one All-Star player and young talent that the Brooklyn Nets sought in return for Durant. That didn’t stop one prominent Las Vegas betting site, Caesars Sportsbook, from moving the Nets’ odds of winning the NBA championship from 18-1 to 9-1. Given the package that the Utah Jazz received from the Minnesota Timberwolves for Rudy Gobert, the mind stretched to conceive a proper return for Durant, a 12-time All-Star and two-time NBA Finals most valuable player.Īnd so Durant remains in the loaded Eastern Conference, although the Nets still have the uncertain futures of Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons on their hands. That was obvious, even more obvious-but only slightly-than the fact that no team likely would cobble together the proper package to satisfy the Brooklyn Nets’ rightfully high asking price for a top-five player with four years remaining on his deal.Īnd thus Tuesday’s statement from the Nets that Durant has backed off his trade demand-for now-after a meeting with ownership, management and coach Steve Nash isn’t a surprise.
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The Chicago Bulls never were trading for Kevin Durant.