In the grand scheme of things, this offseason was a quiet one for the Chicago Bulls. They made a few re-signings, bringing back Nikola Vucevic, Ayo Dosunmu, and Coby White, and added a couple of solid veterans to the roster, signing Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig in free agency, but their roster looks largely the same as last year’s.
Unfortunately for the Bulls, the rest of the Eastern Conference took strides forward while they remained stagnant. The Milwaukee Bucks added Damian Lillard, the Boston Celtics added Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, and teams like the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Indiana Pacers all beefed up their rosters.
ESPN recently conducted a survey with 15 scouts, coaches, and executives, and one of the questions was, “Which team had the worst offseason?” The Bulls received one vote.
Again, LaVine, DeRozan, and Vucvic are all solid players, and adding win-now veterans raises the floor for the Bulls, but they still aren’t in the title picture.
Instead, they will be competing for a mere playoff spot, and there’s a chance they could even be left out of the Play-In, as a lot of young teams will be knocking on the door. Squads like the Pacers, Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets, and Detroit Pistons will all be looking to take steps forward.
Chicago had a perfect chance to hit the reset button and start over, as Vucevic’s contract was up, DeRozan is an expiring deal, and a lot of teams are seemingly going for it.
Instead, they committed to winning, and it seems as though it could backfire in a big way.
