The Chicago Bulls haven’t been relevant, basketball-wise, in quite a while.
It seemed like they were back on the right path, but Lonzo Ball’s injury derailed them again, and they’re stuck in basketball limbo.
They’re not good enough to be a lock as a playoff team, nor bad enough to get the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft.
That’s why the fans have urged them to blow the roster up and tank for the past couple of years.
It seemed like they had finally come to that conclusion as well, as they traded Alex Caruso away and let DeMar DeRozan walk.
However, the fans shouldn’t get their hopes up.
According to Cody Westerlund, Bulls executive Arturas Karnisovas shut down all rumors about tanking, stating that they will try to win every game (via NBA Central).
Bulls executive Artūras Karnišovas says the Bulls have no plans to tank
“We’re going to try to win every game.”
(Via @CodyWesterlund) pic.twitter.com/xawQ5PUKd8
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 25, 2024
Granted, Karnisovas can’t openly talk about tanking or purposely losing games, so the fans might hope that’s the case here.
The Bulls need to find ways to offload Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic and just let the young players play and develop.
If Lonzo Ball comes back, which is a big if, they should also look to flip him for more draft capital or young players.
Bulls ownership has been reluctant to spend money to lure big-name free agents and has failed to capitalize on the great city, fan base, culture, and history they have.
So, if the only way to find a star will be through the NBA Draft, not maximizing their chances of getting the top pick would be malpractice.
