Trade season, usually one of the NBA’s most exciting periods, filled with swirling rumors and high-stakes speculation, has been unusually subdued in the 2025–26 season, leaving fans and analysts waiting for meaningful action as the league approaches the trade deadline.
So far, only one trade has materialized, and it felt somewhat anticlimactic: the Washington Wizards’ acquisition of Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks, a deal that shook few foundations despite Young being a four-time All-Star and one of the league’s premier point guards.
Washington sent only CJ McCollum, 34, and Corey Kispert to Atlanta in exchange, a relatively low-cost transaction that provided immediate skill without sacrificing the franchise’s long-term assets, signaling that the Wizards are willing to take calculated risks in this trade season.
Young’s departure from Atlanta, however, was not entirely surprising, given that he failed to secure a contract extension with the Hawks during the offseason, making it clear that the 27-year-old point guard’s tenure in Georgia was approaching its natural conclusion.
Meanwhile, several Chicago Bulls players have long been rumored as trade candidates, including Ayo Dosunmu, Zach Collins, Kevin Huerter, and Nikola Vucevic, primarily due to their expiring contracts, which make them attractive assets for teams looking to adjust cap space and roster composition.
Vucevic, in particular, has been on the trade radar for more than a year, a veteran center whose combination of production and expiring salary makes him an intriguing target for teams willing to restructure their frontcourt, though his fit for Chicago’s current roster remains questionable.
Beyond Young and the Bulls’ own potential trade candidates, three additional players have been regularly linked to Chicago over the past months: Anthony Davis, Jonathan Kuminga, and Domantas Sabonis, all bringing unique skill sets, but also distinct risks and challenges for the franchise.
Anthony Davis being linked to the Bulls is not new, as the 10-time All-Star is a Chicago native, and his connection to the city naturally makes the pairing appealing to both fans and media, particularly after ESPN’s Tim Bontemps listed the Bulls as a potential trade destination over a month ago.
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Despite Davis’ hometown connection, he isn’t an ideal fit on the Bulls, given the team’s current roster construction, and he isn’t a perfect match for his current team, the 14–23 Dallas Mavericks, which makes him a complicated trade candidate from a strategic perspective.
Initially, trading for Davis seemed ill-advised, primarily due to his injury history and age—32—but the Trae Young trade provides a precedent for acquiring high-profile talent at a modest cost, suggesting that sending Huerter, Vucevic, and Coby White could be worthwhile for Chicago.
Davis remains an accomplished and versatile player, capable of impacting the game on both ends of the floor, but his past injuries and substantial contract present clear risks for a franchise attempting to balance a rebuild with competitiveness in the Eastern Conference.
Jonathan Kuminga represents the opposite profile of Davis, a 23-year-old swingman with immense athleticism who has played 67 games or more in three of his four seasons but currently finds himself outside his team’s rotation, making him a valuable but underutilized trade asset.
Kuminga was first linked to Chicago ahead of the 2024 trade deadline, in discussions centered around former Bull Alex Caruso, but when those talks failed, he remained connected to the team, and speculation increased that he could join the Bulls during the 2025 offseason.
Ultimately, Chicago acquired Isaac Okoro instead, while Kuminga re-signed a two-year, $48.5 million deal, including a second-year team option, giving both the Warriors and Kuminga flexibility while leaving his trade status open and making a future move increasingly plausible.
Domantas Sabonis has also been loosely connected to Chicago in recent months, primarily due to the Bulls’ and Kings’ previous trading relationship, though Sacramento’s 8–29 record and lack of clear identity mean nearly every player on their roster could be considered a potential trade candidate.
Sabonis, like Davis, wouldn’t move the needle dramatically for Chicago, though he is younger and cheaper than Davis, providing a slightly different option for bolstering the frontcourt while addressing some, but not all, of the Bulls’ interior defensive struggles.
Chicago does not have the ecosystem to fully support Sabonis, as the 29-year-old resembles Vucevic in skillset, particularly on defense, and while he brings toughness as a bruiser, he fails to address core structural weaknesses that have plagued the team’s interior defense for multiple seasons.
Interest in Davis, Kuminga, and Sabonis is consistent with historical trends, as each player has been linked to the Bulls previously, and NBA insider Jake Fischer suggests all three remain names to monitor should Chicago shift into “buyer mode” ahead of the trade deadline.
The combination of expiring contracts, cap flexibility, and draft assets gives Chicago the tools to make meaningful moves if Karnišovas is willing to act, but the recurring theme remains the front office’s cautious approach, leaving opportunities on the table while the trade window narrows.
