LOS ANGELES — Two weeks until the NBA trade deadline.

The countdown hangs over every practice, game and media availability for the Chicago Bulls — a constant, unyielding reminder of the front office’s past inaction and the growing pressure to make a change for the better before Feb. 8.

But for players such as DeMar DeRozan, front-office moves — or a lack thereof — can’t factor into their everyday life.

“I just really focus in on trying to play great basketball,” DeRozan said. “I’m overly happy with how we competed and played against Phoenix. We’ve been playing well together. That’s the great thing about it and that’s all I can control and worry about.”

The Bulls stood pat at the last two trade deadlines — and have made only eight substantive additions over the last two years, all of which occurred through free agency, the draft or the midseason buyout market. As interest in Zach LaVine continues to fizzle out across the league, it appears the team could be careening toward another window of inactivity.

DeRozan, at least, believes the Bulls can compete with the current roster.

“We can beat anybody,” he said. “We can compete with anybody. Health is always the major thing for us. As long as we can get closer to being healthy and stay healthy, we can beat anybody. My confidence is at an all-time high when it comes to this team.”

But executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas has made it clear that the Bulls need more — and that change should be on the horizon if the team wants to succeed in the future.

As the Bulls near the trade deadline, here are several reports to track.

Bulls’ price for Zach LaVine might be too high for Detroit Pistons

James Edwards III of The Athletic reported the Pistons and Bulls have engaged in preliminary conversations about a trade for LaVine. The Bulls would want Bojan Bogdanović and one other “blue-chip player” on the Pistons roster in exchange for their maximum-contract star, the report said.

The problem is, according to the report, the Pistons are uninterested in trading Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey or Jalen Duran — four players the Bulls would be most interested in acquiring in a package with Bogdanović. Edwards noted the Pistons might pursue the deal more seriously if the asking price diminishes.

The Bulls front office was previously firm about needing a strong payoff to make a trade. How the Bulls proceed will reflect how desperate they are to move LaVine.

Milwaukee Bucks view Alex Caruso trade as a ‘dream outcome’

Caruso is always a tantalizing prospect as front offices scour the market. His defensive prowess is an automatic upgrade for any team looking to make a deep push in the playoffs, while his improved 3-point shooting (42%) rounds out his overall game.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Bucks are the latest team to put Caruso on their wish list as a “dream outcome” to land. The Bucks have been aggressive this week as they fired first-time head coach Adrian Griffin despite a 30-13 record.

But prying Caruso away from the Bulls would come at a steep cost. According to Fischer’s report, the Bulls would require multiple first-round draft picks before they “even consider” trading Caruso. The front office has been open about its reluctance even to pick up the phone for Caruso.

That makes this trade unlikely. But if the Bucks are in a pinch — especially given their steep defensive drop-off this season — they might take a big swing at moving Caruso up the road to Milwaukee.

Los Angeles Lakers look to Andre Drummond to shore up frontcourt

The most consistent connection between the Bulls and Lakers this season has been (as of now) fruitless chatter about moving LaVine out west. But according to a report by Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the Lakers could be interested in targeting a different Bull: backup center Andre Drummond.

According to McMenamin’s report, the Lakers are interested in adding Drummond (among other backup centers across the league) to brace for a postseason matchup with the Denver Nuggets and big man Nikola Jokić.

Drummond is averaging 7.6 points and 8.4 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per game this season. It’s unclear what the Lakers would be willing to offer in exchange for Drummond — but if the Bulls were to move the big man, they would need an immediate acquisition to replace his presence in the second unit.

During starting center Nikola Vučević’s brief injury absence, the Bulls did not rely on rookie center Adama Sanogo, who primarily plays for the G League’s Windy City Bulls. Instead they played an extreme version of small ball during that time, which was ultimately untenable against many opponents.

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