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Joel Lorenzi: Jalen Smith is playing tonight on a “tight” minutes restriction. Giddey is OUT. Tre Jones is IN.
Coby White and Dosunmu will be eligible for free agency after the season, and Tre Jones got a contract extension in July. Karnisovas has been most aggressive in trying to trade White, but Dosunmu and Jones are drawing more interest because of finances.
Although their contracts are longer term, both Tre Jones and Jalen Smith have driven interest in recent weeks. While Jones could be a potential asset still in play, the Bulls’ interest in maintaining a larger presence due to the recent success of two-big lineups could dissuade any deals from prying the center away from the Bulls. That means the Bulls are mostly looking to deal their guards, which could begin the process of rebalancing the roster.
Much of the conversation around the Bulls' present-day machinations, of course, revolves around Chicago's current backcourt. Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu and Tre Jones have all drawn notable trade interest from rival teams, sources say. The clear conclusion after being on the ground for two games and three days in the Windy City: White currently ranks as the most likely Bulls guard to be dealt before next Thursday’s trade buzzer … for multiple reasons.
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The Bulls have downgraded Tre Jones (left hamstring strain) to doubtful for Saturday’s game against Boston. Josh Giddey (left hamstring strain), Patrick Williams (right ankle sprain) and Lachlan Olbrich (right thoracic strain) are probable.
KC Johnson: Josh Giddey came out of return game in good shape, per Donovan. Likely will be on roughly 24-26 minute restriction again vs. Boston and sounds like that will be from reserve role again, at least for near future. Tre Jones has hamstring tightness, per Donovan.
For Tre Jones, who grew up in the Twin Cities suburb of Apple Valley, the news stories hit too close to home to ignore. Friends and family back home have relayed reports of ICE activity and raids in their neighborhoods. In December, students walked out of Jones’ alma mater, Apple Valley High School, to protest the initial wave of local ICE activity. “It’s been tough to watch and follow,” Jones told the Tribune. “It’s extremely sad to see the way that people are being treated here.”
Four children in the Columbia Heights Public School district were detained by ICE before and after school Tuesday. One of them was 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, whom ICE reportedly detained and then used as “bait” to entice family members to open the door to their home. Ramos and another child — a 10-year-old who was walking to school with her mother — have been transferred to a detention center in Texas. “It’s just sad to think about kids that might have been going to school with their families dealing with these types of things,” Jones said. “It’s people that weren’t causing any harm to the communities. They’re only bringing good. They’re showing up to school just like the rest of us, having fun and doing things all kids want to do, and they’re facing this. It’s sad. We never wanted to see this happen.”
ICE’s actions have been defended repeatedly by Bovino, Vance, Trump and DHS as necessary due to crime and danger caused by immigrants in the Twin Cities. It’s a familiar scenario to Chicagoans, who saw their city branded as a “hellhole” and “haven for criminals” during similar ICE campaigns over the last four months. Jones doesn’t believe this depiction of his hometown. He sees a different truth that doesn’t reflect federal officials’ rhetoric focused on violence. “People here know that it’s an amazing city built by amazing people,” Jones said. “It’s a great community here. People look out and stick up for one another. That’s what we see and feel. After some of the horrific things that happened here in the past five or six years, the community continues to come together and stick up for one another. That’s just how this city is.”
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Another trade partner for the Bulls to keep an eye on is the Timberwolves. They have star guard Anthony Edwards and his supporting cast of center Rudy Gobert and forwards Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid locked up for at least the next three seasons, but they have been shopping for a combo guard to play off Edwards, especially in the fourth quarter of games. The Sun-Times reported last month that the teams talked about a deal for White, but the Timberwolves also have inquired about Ayo Dosunmu and Tre Jones, too.
Joel Lorenzi: Tre Jones: “Yeah, you could definitely feel (the ice melting). But I think as more people got in the gym and everything, it just got warmer. So, I think it continued to get a little bit worse and a little more slippery. I think it's just tough to bounce back from.”
Joel Lorenzi: Asked about what happened down the stretch to Bulls, down five at half, Billy Donovan acknowledged losses of Giddey and White before saying: “I think there’s enough there with Ayo (Dosunmu), Tre Jones and Kevin Huerter to carry the load. We’ve gotta be better.”
The Bulls have upgraded Ayo Dosunmu (right thumb sprain) to questionable for Friday’s game against Cleveland. Zach Collins (left wrist soreness) is probable and Tre Jones (left hamstring tightness) is questionable.
