The Chicago Bulls are making a comeback for the 2023–24 season with a roster that is remarkably similar to the one of the Eastern Conference’s under.500 teams from the previous year that missed the playoffs. As the Bulls prepare for training camp, what changes can we anticipate in Chicago? Here are three pressing issues that the Bulls must resolve before the 2023–24 season begins.
3. What are the Bulls doing here
Really, though. What’s the plan moving forward? Non-contenders rarely hold on to 34-year-old wings like DeMar DeRozan, or pay major money to a player who can’t at least carry them to a postseason appearance (Zach LaVine). You can empathize with Chicago for the Lonzo Ball deal not working out due to injury as he would have really tied the room together, but at some point, you have to move on and find some direction. Are the Bulls rebuilding? Are the Bulls contending? It’s awfully hard to tell what the plan is after an offseason that featured no major moves or anything close to it.
There’s value to keeping a core together and banking on improved chemistry, but the Bulls look like sweep fodder for the best teams in the East more than anything else. The only real wrong decision for Chicago right now is indecision.
2. Does anyone want Zach LaVine?
While finding a trade partner for DeMar DeRozan is a more pressing issue with his contract expiring after this season, the Bulls would be wise to at least put the feelers out for LaVine and see if anyone is willing to take on his max contract. Chicago would be a lot closer to financial freedom if they were able to get out of LaVine’s deal which runs through the 2026-27 season.
Would a team like Orlando, who has two large short-term contracts in Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz, speed up their rebuild and make a trade for LaVine?
Would the Knicks trade RJ Barrett and Evan Fournier’s expiring deal to the Bulls to reunite LaVine with Tom Thibodeau
1. Who needs minutes in this backcourt?
The Bulls have a big hodgepodge of a backcourt right now, with multiple talented guards who don’t appear to blend all that well together. Alex Caruso is one of the best defensive players in the league, but his shooting limitations make him difficult to play with Ayo Dosunmo, who shot 31 percent from behind the arc last year. LaVine and DeRozan both need a full starter’s worth of minutes, but figuring out whether Coby White or Patrick Williams better complement them is something worth experimenting with.
There could be options out there while hope springs eternal around the league during training camp. Figuring out what LaVine’s market is should be the first trade domino if the Bulls want to rebuild and get off the treadmill of mediocrity.
