The Chicago Bulls trade rumor mill keeps spinning as the deadline date gets closer and one player the team could go after in February is Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors and there is a chance that the franchise could deal names like Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer, Kirk Hinrich or Jimmy Butler as they try to recover from the Derrick Rose injury and Luol Deng trade.
The Bulls can absolutely sit tight and hang onto their players until Rose returns at the end of this season or next year, but after the Luol Deng deal it appears that they would be willing to make some moves and Lowry could be an option. The Toronto Raptors reportedly will look to trade the point guard after reports from last month said they would not pull the trigger on a deal and this comes as he is playing very well and with his value rising, general manager Masai Ujiri may feel that he has no choice but to make a move.
Lowry has been playing at a high level, including last night when he led the way against the Orlando Magic with 33 points and 11 assists and more games like that should push the heat up on more trade reports involving the point guard. The Raptors have to walk a fine line with Lowry and their team, as Ujiri came in with plans to rebuild and while he is doing that, the team is playing well and he can't risk losing the fan base completely just to rebuild. The team traded Rudy Gay and that deals ended up making the team play better and now Lowry could be the next to go, as he is set to be a free agent and Ujiri will not want to lose him for nothing.
Against the Magic Lowry had six three's and made his first five of the game and he has been playing very well during this latest stretch and is averaging 16 points and nearly eight assists per game this season and is averaging 20 points and over eight dishes in his last 10 games. The Bulls may not be the only team interested, as the Knicks and Raptors were close to a deal as well, but that fell through when the Knicks did not want to meet the demands of the Raptors and Ujiri, as they didn't want to get hosed again like the Carmelo Anthony deal.
The Raptors and the Bulls are both likely making the playoffs and Ujiri may try and find a way to deal Lowry while rebuilding and making the team better, but good luck with that one. Obviously the Bulls will not want to give up Noah, but a player like Boozer or Hinrich and their contracts could be options and they have decisions to make as well, since Rose will be out for months once again. The team traded away Luol Deng when they couldn't agree to an extension and now that could be the first of many moves, as the Rockets and Warriors have expressed interest in Mike Dunleavy as well.