This year started off terribly for the Chicago Bulls as they went 5-14 to kick off their 2023-24 campaign. However, a turnaround spurred by Coby White and DeMar DeRozan has hopes of a Play-In birth bleeding back into the mind of the Bulls. And while that still may be in the cards, it would be a disservice to not rebuild at this year’s trade deadline.
Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic just returned from injury, so they can begin building up their trade value. As for DeRozan, he’s in the final year of his contract, so barring a now-unforeseen extension, trading him should be Chicago’s top option.
Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report recently listed the Bulls as one of five NBA teams that need to blow up their rosters this year, urging them to complete “one of the biggest gut jobs we’ve ever seen at a trade deadline.”
“Things are about to get really ugly in Chicago. At least, they should,” Swartz wrote.
“This is actually a roster that contains a lot of veteran talent, players that could be plugged in elsewhere and make major contributions towards a title chase. DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine headline this list, although the Bulls shouldn’t stop there.
“Nikola Vučević, Alex Caruso, Andre Drummond, Jevon Carter and others can all start or be high-minute members of a playoff rotation depending on the needs of the given team. Even younger players like Coby White and Patrick Williams shouldn’t be labeled untouchable given Chicago’s lack of success with both.”
If there were ever a time for the Bulls to rebuild, it’s now.
