Bulls Have A New Trade Target On Their Radar

In the last few days, things have taken a somber turn for the Chicago Bulls in the trade arena. Yesterday, it was solidified that Nikola Vucevic will be staying put through next week’s cutoff, barring a miracle, and it was recently reported that the asking price of first-round draft stock is not being met for Coby White. It’s also been rumored that Arturas Karnisovas is leaning again toward seeing the current group’s projection through to the end of the regular season, mostly because they are only a handful of games out of playoff contention. Today’s news might have flipped Chicago’s luck in trade talks and could result in a significant splash before the deadline.

Chicago Checking In On Bennedict Mathurin

With a trade season riddled with reports of the Bulls passing on adding All-NBA talent and opting for young, athletic assets to pair with Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis, this acquisition would perfectly fit the mold. Mathurin is a 23-year-old guard who stands at 6’5″ and has more playoff experience than most of the Bulls’ roster. He’d be the perfect complementary piece to Giddey in the backcourt, or serve as a sixth man threat off the pine.

The Bulls recently expressed trade interest in Bennedict Mathurin and Yves Missi, per @KCJHoop.

Chicago is active in the marketplace targeting young players on the same age timeline as Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis. pic.twitter.com/LpAzmxE7hx

— Evan Sidery (@esidery) January 31, 2026

This would be a perfect add-in replacement for White. He’s a better fit with the system; he’ll be due an extension this summer that is less lucrative than the one the former Tar Heel point guard will receive, and his size is sorely needed in Chicago’s lineup.

Winning Now But Getting Younger

From all indications, Karnisovas is dreaming up a perfect scenario for the next week. His goal is to add young talent alongside his two franchise stars, Giddey and Buzelis, but also continue the pursuit of the postseason this year. This sounds good in theory, but is nearly impossible to pull off. First, to add young talent, it’ll cost the Bulls either young assets or draft capital, thereby limiting their ability to continually add talent in the future. Second, grabbing younger players also means they’re either unproven thus far or they’ll need a period of adjustment to a new system, roster, and rotation. This would lead the masses to assume that they won’t perform at peak level immediately, meaning the chase for the playoffs would be derailed. It’s anyone’s best guess as to how or why Karnisovas thinks he can have the best of both worlds, immediate success and a soft rebuild simultaneously.

The Chicago Bulls are reportedly looking to improve their playoff chances this season, per @EricPincus

“Per multiple league and agent sources, Chicago is looking to improve postseason chances this season while adding young, athletic players to complement its core duo of Josh… pic.twitter.com/AQVdUIp7aa

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 27, 2026

If the front office can successfully add young talent without losing future capital and remain in contention, it’ll be an anomaly. Can he navigate an impossible task and somehow win on both fronts, or will this be yet another smoke-infested trade season where Chicago ultimately doesn’t make any significant moves?