Following their ugly start to the season, the Chicago Bulls looked set to enter a rebuild. Rumors indicated that the team was focused on trading Zach LaVine, but then he went down with an injury. However, rather than tumbling further toward the bottom of the standings, the Bulls improved, and they’re now fully in the Play-In Tournament race.
Despite the recent success, the Bulls seemingly still don’t have the talent to compete with the top teams in the East, and speculation has led to the belief that they could still sell at the deadline. But a recent report might indicate otherwise.
According to long-time NBA insider Marc Stein and his newsletter, “The Stein Line,” the Bulls have no interest in trading their veterans in favor of entering a rebuild.
“The Bulls continue to make former All-Star swingman Zach LaVine available on the trade market but are not, league sources say, looking to ship out multiple veterans and enter into a full-fledged rebuild,” Stein wrote.
Bulls Wire has previously pondered the idea of trading LaVine in favor of adding depth to a roster that found success without him on the court, even composing a mock trade that would see Kevin Huerter and Andrew Wiggins join Chicago.
Flipping LaVine and his massive contract would likely help the Bulls moving forward, but rather than resetting the roster, looking to add more talent isn’t the worst idea. This team is capable of making the Play-In and potentially winning a game, and putting quality players around Coby White and Patrick Williams could help their development moving forward.