CHI and#039;expressed interest#039; Former Top-20 pickUpdated January 11, 2024 at 10:51 pmBilly Donovan, Chicago BullsGettyChicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan.The Chicago Bulls have been on a rise for the past month.They hold ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings. Their recent success – 13-7 in their last 20 games – may cause them to change their business plans a bit.”The Bulls, Rockets and Knicks have expressed interest in AJ Griffin, who has fallen out of favor this season under [Atlatnta Hawks head coach] Quin Snyder,” Action Network’s Matt Moore wrote on Jan. 10.Griffin was the #16 overall pick in the 2022 draft.He burst onto the scene and showed off his shooting skills on 3.6 attempts per game at 39%. However, he has appeared in 13 of the Hawks’ 36 contests this season. And he shoots 32.1% from downtown.Griffin first saw his role change when Snyder arrived after the All-Star break.The 6-foot-1 former Duke Blue Devil went from 20 minutes to 16 MPG when former Hawks head coach Nate McMillan made the switch.Snyder cut Griffin from the rotation during last year’s postseason. And this season, the second-year wing has come off the bench behind veteran backups Garrison Mathews and 37-year-old Wesley Matthews.Griffin isn’t the only Hawk guard the Bulls have shown interest in.Bulls ask Hawks about Dejounte Murray”The Bulls have also asked about [Dejounte] Murray,” Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer wrote in January. 11. Sources said those talks never gained much traction with the Hawks.Murray, 27, has been a hot name in the business for the past few weeks. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania on Jan. 10, the Hawks are likely to “escalate” trade talks surrounding the one-time All-Star.Zach LaVine has also been on the trade block since last season.The Bulls kept the asking price high enough to keep potential suitors away from concerns about LaVine’s health, contract and playing style.Both players happen to be clients of the Klutch Sports Group, which can work both ways for the deal. There are other Klutch clients on both lists, which can alleviate any concerns you may have about the two doing business with each other, although getting the deal done can be difficult.The problem with trading LaVine to the Hawks is that Atlanta would have to add to meet the salary cap.LaVine is in the second year of a five-year, $215 million contract and will make $40 million this season. Murray is coming off a four-year, $64 million contract with a salary of $17.7 million this season.The Hawks would need to add salary – Patty Mills could get them there – to do something before this year’s trade deadlineThat’s why the talks didn’t get much attention from the Atlanta side.The parties may return to these negotiations during the off-season. and no one is in a hurry to make a deal that could backfire.Proposed Bulls trade satisfies “interests”If the Bulls and Hawks want to make a trade, they could trade Griffin and #18 overall pick Dalen Terry in the same draft class. In this hypothetical scenario, they would do so without additional resources.Bulls get:- AJ GriffinHawks:- Dalen TerryTerry is averaging 2.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists this season.He nearly doubled his minutes and played 15 fewer games than he did all of last season.This would be a necessary exchange of skills. The Bulls would bring in more 3-point shooters to fill their needs, while the Hawks would add Terry as a tall, active (albeit raw) rim protector and third-level playmaker.Josh Buckhalter covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com, focusing on the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Vikings. He has covered the NBA and NFL since 2016, including pages on FanSided, Last Word on Sports and Clocker Sports. Head is located in Villa Park, Illinois. Follow Josh on Twitter and Instagram: @JoshGBuck Learn more about Josh BuckhalterRead more.
Leave a Reply