The Chicago Bulls are not giving up on the season despite the fact that Derrick Rose is likely out for the season again with another knee injury and that could mean trades for players like Luol Deng or Carlos Boozer and one option is Kyle Lowry from the Toronto Raptors.
Lowry has been getting some attention from the New York Knicks and possibly the Los Angeles Lakers in trade rumors, as both of those teams have point guard issues and he is a player that the Raptors are willing to deal. The Raptors already traded Rudy Gay and with general manager Masai Ujiri looking to rebuild, Lowry could be next. Rebuilding is a scary word for some teams and it scares Rose, as Pro Basketball Talk reports that courses said the star point guard is worried that the Bulls may give up on this possible championship core of Luol Deng, Boozer and Joakim Noah to rebuild while Rose is out.
The report says that the Bulls could try and take that route instead of keeping the team together and struggling to stay afloat another season as they wait for Rose to return. The report claims that Rose is "worried" about that prospect and the idea that any of those three players could be traded, including Deng, whose contract comes up at the end of the season and he could be attractive for teams looking to snag an expiring contract. Rose is out for the season most likely and while he said he could return for the playoffs, that came up last season and it didn't happen and as much as Deng would like to finish his career in Chicago, teams will be throwing money at him and deals at the Bulls it might be hard to turn them down.
Deng is an All-Star caliber player and if the Bulls slip at all, they could try and trade Deng or Boozer. The Bulls play in the east though and since it is a terrible conference apart from the Heat and Pacers, they could hold tight to see if Rose can return. Rose is understandably worried and he also could be scared about not being able to come back at full strength and that could be behind a potential deal for Lowry, as it would give the team some insurance if he can't come back all good like he did before.
Boozer is a player that could move also with his rebounding skills and there is a good chance that a playoff contender could ask for him. Deng would like to stay but may not and while Noah's name will come up, his contract and his age likely means he is going nowhere. Deng has been the most consistent player for the Bulls over the past couple years apart from Rose and he is leading the team in scoring after doing the same last season and teams like the Mavericks and the Lakers will be the ones chasing him if he becomes a free agent next offseason.
