The Chicago Bulls are once again hovering around the middle of the pack, a familiar spot for a team that’s been walking the tightrope between retooling and rebuilding for the past few seasons. Their latest win - a gritty 114-111 victory over the Boston Celtics on the night the franchise honored Derrick Rose by retiring his jersey - pushed them to 23-22 on the season. That’s good enough for ninth in the Eastern Conference and, if the season ended today, a play-in tournament berth.
But that’s exactly the problem for many Bulls fans: the season doesn’t end today, and this team feels stuck in a loop. Not bad enough to bottom out and land a top draft pick, not quite good enough to make a real playoff run. It’s the NBA’s version of purgatory.
Inside and outside the organization, there’s growing pressure to make a move - not just for the sake of shaking things up, but to commit to a direction. A sizable portion of the fanbase is calling for a pivot toward youth and long-term flexibility. And with several key players on expiring deals, the Bulls have the opportunity to do just that.
According to a report from NBA insider Marc Stein, Chicago is expected to be active on the trade market ahead of the deadline. This would mark the second straight season the Bulls are exploring in-season moves, and this time around, there’s real momentum behind the idea that they’ll try to capitalize on the value of their expiring contracts.
Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu are two names that continue to surface in trade chatter. Both guards are still young - White is 23, Dosunmu 24 - but their contractual situations make them logical trade chips. If the Bulls don’t move them now, they risk losing them for nothing in free agency this summer.
That’s where the front office has to think strategically. White and Dosunmu have shown flashes of growth and could be valuable rotation players for a contender or a team looking to build around young talent.
But for the Bulls, the calculus is different. The team needs to keep its asset pipeline flowing, and that means making tough decisions about players who may not be part of the long-term vision.
Nikola Vucevic is another name to watch. He’s been a steady presence in the frontcourt, but his contract status and age put him in a similar category - a valuable piece for the right team, but perhaps not a foundational one for a franchise trying to reorient itself.
The Bulls aren’t in a full teardown mode - at least not yet - but they’re at a crossroads. This trade deadline could be a pivotal moment in deciding whether they continue to tread water or finally choose a lane. With the Eastern Conference as competitive as ever and the middle of the standings packed tighter than a rush-hour train, standing pat might be the riskiest move of all.
For now, the Bulls are winning just enough to stay in the mix. But with the trade deadline looming and decisions to be made, the next few weeks could shape not just the rest of this season, but the trajectory of the franchise for years to come.