After a relatively uneventful summer in Chicago, there is a sense that we are seeing the final days of this version of the Bulls. Reporting on ‘The Hoop Collective; this week, league insider Brian Windhorst detailed the latest rumors out of Chicago and how they might be close to tearing everything down.
“In talking to some people around the league, the scouts are jamming themselves into Bulls games because they realize that at some point, the Bulls may break this team up,” said Windhorst. “And they’re all gathering intelligence like, ‘What’s gonna happen with the Bulls?'”
"In talking to some people around the league, the scouts are jamming themselves into Bulls games because they realize that at some point, the Bulls may break this team up. And they're all gathering intelligence like, 'What's gonna happen with the Bulls?'"
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— BASKETBALL ON 𝕏 (@BASKETBALLonX) November 10, 2023
When the Bulls first pulled this team together, there was a lot of optimism that they could make some noise in the West. Initially, with Lonzo Ball, Demar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic, they did play like contenders for at last half of the season… before Lonzo went down and killed their title hopes. In every season that has followed, the Bulls have teetered between mediocrity and irrelevancy in the Eastern Conference. This season, after starting starting 3-6, they are on track for another wasted campaign.
What’s Wrong With The Bulls?
Defensively, the Bulls have been a pretty average team and this year they are staying true to that trend as they currently rank 16th. The biggest problem for Chicago is on the other end of the floor. Ranked near the bottom on offense, this Bulls team is one of the worst in the league at scoring the ball and they consistently struggle to keep up with high-scoring NBA offenses. Of course, there’s also the looming status of Lonzo Ball, who has missed the last one and a half seasons with a mysterious knee injury.
When you put everything together, it’s impossible not to notice how dire the situation has gotten for the Bulls. After watching what they thought was a contender miss the playoffs year after year, there is a sense that we’ve already seen what this group of payers has to offer. At this point, the best move for this team might be to move on and start over with a completely new core. They’ve been reluctant to pull the trigger on a rebuild so far, but things might finally reach a breaking point this season
What’s Next For Chicago?
Unless the team experiences a miraculous turnaround, the writing is already on the wall for this Bulls squad. So as the season progresses, it’ll get more likely that franchise GM Marc Eversley finally makes the move that starts the rebuild. First on the docket will be finding a new home for DeMar DeRozan, who is still among the top 30 players in the game at 34 years old. In the right situation, DeRozan could prove extremely valuable to a contending team and he’s sure to earn the Bulls a return of at least one young player or future draft pick.
Next, the Bulls will also have to trade their star big man, Nikola Vucevic. The 2x All-Star is arguably the best inside presence the Bull shave at this point, but he’d be more useful to them as a trade asset than anything else. Ultimately, with trades for these players and others like Alex Caruso, Zach LaVine, and Patrick Williams, the Bulls could essentially start over and rebuild their roster from the ground up. No doubt, it will be a long and difficult road for the franchise but it’s a necessary step on the way to title contention.
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