2021 was a big year for the Chicago Bulls. They made a splash at the NBA trade deadline, acquiring Nikola Vucevic from the Orlando Magic in a surprising turn of events. While that didn’t immediately result in a playoff appearance, it laid the foundation for some more big moves during the offseason.
The Bulls went all-in on building around their All-Star duo of Zach LaVine and Vucevic. Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan were both acquired in sign-and-trade deals from the New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs, respectively. Alex Caruso was signed in free agency, providing the Bulls with a huge upgrade in talent across the roster.
The last piece of the puzzle was their younger players, Coby White and Patrick Williams, continuing to develop. For a while, things did look good in Chicago. They were near the top of the Eastern Conference, but then the injuries began piling up and they sunk in the standings.
The Bulls ended up being early-round fodder for the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2022 postseason, getting eliminated in five games as they had too many injuries to overcome. Those injuries have not subsided this season, which has put Chicago in a tough spot.
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Not good enough to truly contend in the Eastern Conference, at least until Ball comes back to the lineup, if he can, and without assets to make additions to the roster, a rebuild could be on the horizon. An NBA executive that spoke to NBA Analysis Network believes that is the way to go.
“I do not envy their situation at all. LaVine and Ball have knee problems that I’d be concerned about. DeRozan isn’t getting any younger. Vucevic is playing on an expiring contract. … There isn’t really much room for them to make changes, and right now, time appears to be their enemy, not their friend. Even their young players haven’t really taken steps forward.”
One benefit to a bad season is that a team will land a top draft pick. We have seen plenty of teams take advantage of that, with the Toronto Raptors being a recent example. They had the fourth pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, selecting Scottie Barnes Jr., and were back in the playoff mix immediately.
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Alas, that isn’t a luxury the Bulls have. Their first-round pick is heading to the Magic from the Vucevic trade. That is as big of a reason as any that the executive believes tearing things down and rebuilding is the best course of action.
“The Bulls owe their first-round pick for this year to the Magic. It’s hard for me to say that it’s best to tear it down because of that, but they really need to start thinking about trading vets to get assets sooner rather than later.”
The long-term outlook of LaVine and Ball with their knee issues is certainly concerning. No one would blame Chicago for exploring some trades to see what kind of value they can extract in a trade. There are some good assets on this roster should ownership want to cash in their chips.
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Vucevic on an expiring deal should be an attractive trade piece and a big trade, such as for Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook and draft capital, could be made by combining Vucevic with the contract of DeRozan.
Williams has not taken the step forward that the Bulls had hoped, likely sapping some of his value. But, if veterans are moved, he could see an expanded role with the potential to take the third-year leap the organization was hoping to see.
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