Less than a month away from the trade deadline, the Chicago Bulls are a team to monitor. As has been the case for the past couple of seasons, they are a popular team in the rumor mill this year. Whether they make a deal or not remains unknown. Regardless, they are a team to monitor. Unfortunately for the team, one of their top trade candidates is expected to be out of action for some time. According to head coach Billy Donovan, per Bulls insider K.C. Johnson, forward Torrey Craig suffered an ankle injury. The 34-year-old already had a leg contusion that kept him out of action.
Torrey Craig will be out awhile, per Donovan. Has ankle sprain on top of leg contusion.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) January 13, 2025
Furthermore, the Bulls officially announced that Craig will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Injury Update: Torrey Craig will be re-evaluated in two
weeks after being diagnosed with a right ankle sprain. pic.twitter.com/guuPlTIBPo— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 13, 2025
Chicago Bulls Trade Candidate ‘Will Be Out Awhile’
Rival Team Had Interest in Torrey Craig Trade Before His Injury
In November, ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel reported that the Milwaukee Bucks have interest in reuniting with Craig, who played for them during the 2020-21 season.
“No team has shown interest in making a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks at this time. MarJon Beauchamp ($2.7 million) and Pat Connaughton ($9.4 million) are the two players the Bucks have made available in trade discussions in order to try and add talent on the wing. Veteran forward Torrey Craig from the Chicago Bulls is a player Milwaukee has shown interest in, sources said.”
At this time, it is unclear if the Bucks still have interest in trading for Craig. However, Craig’s 3-and-D playstyle would greatly benefit the Bucks on both sides of the court. The forward is in the midst of a contract year. Given that the Bulls are not likely to make any noise in the postseason this year, trading Craig for some value in return could make sense.
The Bulls’ Other Trade Candidates
Craig is one of the names Chicago could move on from, but he is far from the only one. In addition to Craig, the Bulls could move on from Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, and Lonzo Ball.
Recently, reports indicated that the Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers had trade talks around LaVine. However, those talks have stalled and are unlikely to pick back up, per Joe Cowley.
“The Chicago Bulls have made it no secret that they’ve tried to trade Zach LaVine. Earlier this season, the Bulls held trade talks with the Los Angeles Lakers. Those talks didn’t go very far, and with the Lakers having traded D’Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets, it’s unlikely those talks will pick back up.”
It remains unclear how busy the Bulls will be ahead of next month’s trade deadline. However, a move could make sense for the team. As it stands, they are 18-21 and own the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference. Even if they make the playoffs, they are not likely to go far. One month from now, the Bulls’ roster could look completely different. How many of these trade candidates remain is something to keep an eye on.
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