The Chicago Bulls are rapidly falling apart after an encouraging (yet clearly fraudulent) beginning to their season. The most obvious course of action now is to start selling assets and kick off a rebuild — which could include trading Tre Jones to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Wolves are desperate for a point guard, which has led to speculation involving another Bulls guard, Coby White. But White would cost Minnesota more, both in a trade and financially. The 25-year-old is an unrestricted free agent after this season.

Jones, however, is on a wildly team-friendly deal that will pay him just $8 million each of the next two years and comes with a team option for 2027-28. He may be less explosive than White, but he’s arguably a better fit for what the Timberwolves need. And Chicago could use just about any asset(s) it can get.

The Bulls and Timberwolves could work out a trade for Tre Jones

While the more tantalizing rumor links Minnesota to White, the more logical move may be acquiring a lower usage rate floor general in Jones.

The Timberwolves already have a ball-dominant superstar guard in Anthony Edwards. To get the most value out of a scorer like White, Minnesota would need to cut back on Edwards’ time of possession.

That would not be the case with Jones.

Also only 25 years old, the 41st overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft is far more comfortable as a role player. He spent the first four full seasons of his career with the San Antonio Spurs and played 251 games, only 125 of which were starts. He averaged 22.1 minutes a night, scoring 8.6 points and dishing out 4.8 assists per contest.

He found a home when he landed in the Windy City as part of the trade that sent Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings. Through 18 games and nine starts with the Bulls last year, his averages jumped to 11.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.1 steals. He shot 57.2 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from three (1.2 attempts per game). 

Jones has started 11 of his 17 games played thus far in 2025-26 and is averaging a career-high 13.2 points to go along with 3.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.7 steals and a better than 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Jones would be a seamless replacement for Mike Conley

Minnesota made the 2024 Western Conference Finals with Mike Conley running the show next to Edwards. Conley started 76 games that season and averaged 11.4 points, 5.9 assists and 1.2 steals, numbers that are eerily similar to Jones’ with the Bulls. He served as an intelligent and efficient playmaker willing to defer to Edwards.

Conley’s impact has dramatically declined this year in his age-38 season, hence the Wolves’ desire to find an upgrade. Jones would cost less to acquire than White, is locked into an exceptionally valuable contract and could easily slide into Conley’s role without changing much around Edwards.

It would make sense for Minnesota to check in on Jones’ availability, and it would make sense for the Bulls to cash in and find a trade that would help a few years from now.

But Chicago has stubbornly refused to make any moves with the future in mind, so Bulls’ and Timberwolves’ fans shouldn’t hold their collective breath.