Two years ago, the Chicago Bulls decided they were done rebuilding, instead choosing to push their chips on the table and push for a playoff spot. Since then, they’ve won just one playoff game, and this past season, they were bounced in the Play-In Tournament, missing the postseason entirely.
The core of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic is solid, but last season proved that it’s not quite good enough to guarantee a playoff spot, despite their late-season success. And now, Arturas Karnisovas has stated his desire to run the team back, as he does not wish to rebuild the roster.
Unfortunately for Chicago and Bulls fans, the team could not have picked a worse time to go all in and avoid a rebuild.
The NBA has been as competitive as ever for the past three seasons, and with all the parity in the league, unless a team has a top-10 player, they could be fighting for a Play-In spot. And even if a team does have an elite player, like Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, they aren’t guaranteed anything.
It’s as difficult as ever for the Bulls to be a perennial playoff team, especially with their current roster and lack of consistent three-point shooting.
And even if they were to rebuild now, it’s the worst possible time for it.
Last summer, the Utah Jazz hit the reset button, and they received a haul. Rudy Gobert landed them a ridiculous package of picks and players, while Donovan Mitchell netted them Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, and draft picks.
Now, teams aren’t as willing to take on long-term money. With the new CBA coming into play, teams are hesitant to take on huge contracts. In some cases, teams are having to pay to get off of long-term money.
Bradley Beal was traded for Chris Paul, second-rounders, and pick swaps. John Collins was traded for Rudy Gay and a second-round pick. Jordan Poole was traded for Paul, and the Golden State Warriors had to attach picks to him in order to get off his long-term money.
If Chicago had waited a little bit longer, continued to develop their young talent, and looked to go all in now, they could be in a much better spot than they currently are.
Instead, they are stuck with a roster that’s in desperate need of a rebuild and no easy pathway to do that. LaVine’s contract could scare teams away, Vuceevic is a free agent, and DeRozan is on an expiring deal.
They should never have gone all in, and now, a rebuild wouldn’t net the same payday it once could have.
