CHICAGO (670 The Score) -- As the Bulls vice president of basketball operations John Paxson explained his team's inactivity as the trade deadline came and went Thursday afternoon, he struck enough familiar refrains to nearly fill a bingo card.
The Bulls didn't intend to be buyers at this stage of their rebuild. They stood pat because interested suitors were looking to extract value at only a small cost, and the Bulls aren't in the business of giving away players. A string of injuries have led to a "disjointed" season and inhibited the organization from evaluating its young core together.
The Bulls still fully believe in those youngsters, however inconsistent they may have been. He's pleased with the steps that Zach LaVine has taken. Lauri Markkanen remains a "cornerstone" player despite season-long struggles. Coach Jim Boylen has handled the injury attrition and adversity adeptly with his positive demeanor.
Does that about cover it?
"We weren't going to trade Zach, Lauri, Wendell (Carter Jr.), Coby (White) because we don't know what we have yet," Paxson said after the Bulls made no trades on an otherwise busy Thursday across the NBA. "And we need to see. We've known that all year long."
Paxson's comments weren't all that revealing, but they set the stage for what may – or may not – be a telling final couple months of the season. After the Bulls primarily focused on draft lottery positioning in March and April each of the past two years, Paxson maintained this homestretch will be vital to assess how this group fits together.
The Bulls' hope is that Carter (ankle), Markkanen (pelvis) and Otto Porter Jr. (foot) can return to the floor together around March 1. Whether they'll find unity as they've limped to a 19-33 mark entering play Thursday and as they face a rough schedule late is anyone's guess.
"We still believe in our young core, we still believe in this group of guys and we're going to coach them up," Boylen said.
While the Bulls publicly project confidence in their young core, there's ample evidence that its ceiling isn't as nearly high as the organization hoped. The Bulls have a -2.0 net rating in the 1,231 minutes that LaVine and Markkanen have shared the floor together this season, per NBA.com.
Add the burgeoning Carter to form a three-man mix and the result is a 0.3 net rating in 732 shared minutes. That's positive but nonetheless rather average. It's also worth remembering that the Bulls had everyone healthy and started 3-6 against a soft schedule before Porter was sidelined.
LaVine, 24, has taken another step forward in averaging a career-best 24.9 points, but the team results haven't changed as the Bulls wallow 14 games under .500 and own the second-worst offense in the NBA.
Asked about what gives the Bulls the confidence that LaVine could become a true franchise player, Paxson responded by referencing the group.
"It's not going to be one guy, it's not just going to be Zach," Paxson said. "We know we have to get – in this business, you win with stars. Every team does. We went into a rebuild. You draft, you hope those guys develop. We're still trying to get to that phase of being a relevant, legitimate team. We had hopes this year. We did not start off the way we thought we would and should have, and then the injuries hit and we're sitting here where we are and it's not going to get any easier. Hopefully we can get to the break, these three games, and get back. The time after the All-Star break will be us, again, evaluating who fits going forward. But we have not given up on our young guys. A lot of people make mistakes in this league. I know the balance is not hanging on too long, but it's also not giving up on guys too early."
The 22-year-old Markkanen is a prime example in Paxson's opinion. Markkanen is posting career-low marks in points, rebounds and shooting percentage, but the Bulls haven't adjusted their line of thinking – despite speculation earlier in the day from the Sun-Times that Markkanen could look to leave Chicago at the first chance he gets if the organization doesn't make changes.
"Lauri, we believe in at a high level and we view him as a cornerstone player," Paxson said. "It's our responsibility to help him become the type of player we believe he can be. We've had direct communication with him, with his agent – I've spoken to Mike (Lelchitski) in the last couple hours because of things that are out there. And Lauri, we've never been told Lauri doesn't want to be here. It's obvious, he's not had the type of year in terms of shot attempts that he's had in the past. We communicate that. Jim and I talk about it. Our staff talks about it, so we don't just ignore those things. And we've addressed with Lauri and his rep. So our responsibility is to put our players in a position to succeed and get better.
"We believe in Lauri Markkanen. We'd never waver from that."
The Bulls also held onto their veterans Thursday. Big man Thad Young and wing Denzel Valentine were candidates to be moved but remained in Chicago.
Asked if there was much discussion with other teams about Young specifically, Paxson responded "no." Young added his agent informed him a handful of playoff-caliber teams were interested, but nothing ever seemed close. Young wouldn't reveal which teams were interested.
Young publicly expressed his desire for more playing time in December, and he seemed unmoved emotionally by staying.
"Whatever happens, happens," Young said. "It's all about what they want to do as far as how they make their moves. For me, whatever team I'm on at the time, I'll go out there and play."
The Bulls did take phone calls on Valentine but didn't find a deal to their liking, Paxson said. Despite spending most of the season out of Boylen's rotation and yearning for more playing time, Valentine also took the high road in his comments about staying put.
"I'm so grateful to be a Chicago Bull," Valentine said. "This franchise is legendary and historic, and I'm in the NBA. So I'm excited to be here. I have great teammates. So we'll see what happens at the end of the year."
And the Bulls will do the same.
"Teams are always trying to chase a little bit and see if they can get something that they value for nothing or very little," Paxson said of whether the Bulls fielded calls about their core players. "That's the way the game is played. But we did not, we never would've entertained (it). It would've had to been something that truly improved our future, and teams weren't going to help us out in that regard."
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.
