The Bulls face rough trade waters as they try to navigate draft assets

There are eyes on the Bulls roster.

It's too early to make phone calls, but there are eyes across the association waiting to see what direction things will go.

Will Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas steer the ship straight into the iceberg, or can he lighten the load in time to avoid it and sail off into the sunset that will be Cooper Flagg's draft sweepstakes?

According to a source, there has been continued silence on the Bulls' trade front since late July. At this point in the campaign, that's no surprise. However, there is a growing sentiment among other teams that if Karnisovas can't move one or more of the obvious big three pieces, Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic or Lonzo Ball, Karnisovas could look to move Ayo Dosunmu or a Coby White either draft choice Select assets individually or in a package.

That's the tightrope Karnisovas is still trying to walk.

In a perfect world, the Bulls' top player would want to showcase as much talent as possible for about 30 to 35 games before then ensuring the roster stays in the final 10 for the draft lottery and retaining the protected 2025 first-rounder. Round draft pick from San Antonio.

If only LaVine and Ball were more cooperative about it.

Both are out due to injuries through no fault of their own. LaVine missed his third straight game with an adductor strain but was likely to play Saturday in Atlanta.

“They just want to solve (the tightness),” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said Thursday. “He’s definitely getting closer to playing.”

Ball is not.

The injured point guard sprained his right wrist against Memphis last week, and if he had continued playing, it could have gotten worse and resulted in surgery. Once he starts dribbling a basketball — which isn't on the schedule yet — the Bulls will have a better idea of ​​how long he'll stay in street clothes.

In any case, it's a punch in the gut.

LaVine's contract has three years remaining at $138 million, but Ball is in the final year of his contract and is making $21.4 million. LaVine would only become mobile if a playoff-caliber team lost a key scorer, and even then it would be difficult to come up with the money.

A healthy Ball coming off the bench for a playoff contender, playing 18 to 20 minutes, and doing so on an expiring contract? This is an attractive piece. Unfortunately a piece that can't keep going.

“I’m confident the knee has done him good so far,” Donovan said. “I don't know if I would classify him as 'injury prone'. He certainly had injuries to his knee. This is well documented. This was a little more unique just because it was a contact injury. I'm confident in him because he's really clear about what his role will look like going forward, and if he shows he can be consistent in that role, I think there are great opportunities for him here or elsewhere. “

Vucevic is playing his best basketball as a Bull, but again, his value will be determined by a market shift as he currently has two years left on his contract.

That's why White and Dosunmu could come into play. Both represent the next wave of talent to emerge from the 2021 rebuild, and both have very attractive contracts. White has two years and just over $25 million total remaining, while Dosunmu has two years and $14.5 million remaining.

LaVine increases to $46 million next season and has a player option of $49 million for the 2026-27 season. Someone has to go. The league is watching.