Jan 22, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) dribbles the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Chicago Bulls might have just spilled their trade plans

Originally posted on ChiCitySports | By Jordan Sigler | Last updated Jan 31, 2026 9:25 PM ET

On Monday, Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan suggested there wasn’t much movement going on with the front office before the trade deadline next Thursday.

Center Nikola Vucevic argued that the Bulls should let their core battle for one more playoff run before blowing the operation up.

There might have been an argument to be made before the Bulls’ 129-118 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at home on Monday. Chicago entered the contest on a four-game winning streak.

Since beating the Boston Celtics on Jan. 24, the Bulls have lost three in a row, including a three-point loss to the lowly Indiana Pacers.

On Saturday, Chicago might have let their trade plans slip before playing its second of three consecutive games against the Miami Heat.

Per K.C. Johnson of CHSN, the Bulls ruled out Coby White and Vucevic in addition to Josh Giddey, dealing with a hamstring issue.

“Coby White and Nikola Vucevic are out, per Donovan,” Johnson posted on X. “Bulls have 7 players out Active for Bulls: Matas Buzelis, Isaac Okoro, Ayo Dosunmu, Kevin Huerter, Patrick Williams, Jevon Carter, Dalen Terry, Julian Phillips, Lachlan Olbrich, Yuki Kawamura and Emmanuel Miller.”

Are the Chicago Bulls dropping a trade hint?

Earlier in the day, White and Vucevic did not participate in a shootaround. White was designated with having a calf injury/injury management. Vucevic had a rest day.

White and Vucevic are the two players the Bulls are most likely to try and trade by Thursday. It would make sense for Chicago to keep them from playing the Heat on Saturday if they want to keep both players healthy before the trade deadline.

The Bulls don’t want to push White or Vucevic too hard this weekend. Chicago, which just lost 116-113 to Miami on Thursday night, will play back-to-back games with the Heat on Saturday and Sunday.

There’s a possibility White and Vucevic won’t play in a Bulls uniform again.

This article first appeared on ChiCitySports and was syndicated with permission.

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