For the past two seasons, the Chicago Bulls have tested out a new Big Three. Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic have been leading the way in the red and black, and while they did manage to help Chicago break their four-year playoff drought, the team has been relatively underwhelming.
However, Arturas Karnisovas wants to keep the team together and continue competing next season. They could make a playoff birth, but it’s hard to imagine this iteration of the Bulls getting past the first round. According to Will Gottlieb of CHGO, Chicago may be better off forgoing their rebuild until 2025.
With the way the contracts are laid out in Chicago, they will have a ton of financial flexibility in the 2025 offseason. Gottlieb believes the Bulls could be better off rolling with the current core until then and then moving on.
“I’ve had this thought dating back to the DeMar DeRozan trade,” Gottlieb wrote. “With that top-10 protected pick going to San Antonio in 2025, a run through 2024 when DeRozan (’24), Nikola Vucevic (’23 pending re-signing), Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso’s (both in ’25) contracts are up always made sense to me. Ride it out, then, if things fall apart due to old age, inability to fit everyone on the cap sheet, etc., you have the out in 2025 to be able to bottom out and keep your pick.”
There’s always a chance that the Bulls put things together over the next two seasons. Their stars are good enough to push for the postseason, so maybe they make a small run.
But if things don’t work out, 2025 could be the perfect time to start a rebuild.
