The playoffs aren’t entirely out of the question for the Chicago Bulls this season in what projects to be a down Eastern Conference, which may lead the front office to make yet another decision that won’t sit well with fans: Be buyers at the trade deadline rather than sellers.
Most NBA logic would go against making that call. The team hasn’t made the playoffs since 2021-22 and is retooling a roster that’s seen the exits of Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Alex Caruso in the last year. Nikola Vucevic may be on his way out any day.
The Bulls have 13 players age 25 or younger, including current cornerstones Josh Giddey (22) and Matas Buzelis (20). Said roster also features six unrestricted free agents that cloud both the immediate and long-term futures.
That doesn’t mean the franchise will willingly punt on this season, though.
Chicago Bulls trade deadline fate not yet set in stone
There’s a reason Chicago has earned a spot in the Play-In tournament but fallen short of an actual playoff berth each of the last three seasons. Executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas stubbornly refuses to tear things down or adopt a long-term vision; that may not change as the calendar turns to 2026, especially if the Bulls are hanging around the middle of the Eastern Conference standings.
A push to acquire talent rather than ship it out for future assets could be on the cards, according to Bleacher Report‘s Jake Fischer:
“Chicago is going to see what this group can do in a down Eastern Conference where the Bulls have kind of been trending more in a rebuildy-type way … Chicago still does fancy itself as a team that can make some noise in the East, at least in the Play-In conversation.”
NBA insider Jake Fischer
If things break the right way for some of his younger players, head coach Billy Donovan could lead a relatively competitive squad. Chicago did go 17-10 after the All-Star break last season.
Maybe Karnisovas chooses to part with someone like Ayo Dosunmu, who may not be in the organization’s plans, to fill a hole elsewhere on the roster or upgrade the center spot. Kevin Huerter, Zach Collins, Jevon Carter and Dalen Terry will be unrestricted free agents at the end of the year. White is next in line for a potential contract extension, but if the Bulls feel like they can’t re-sign him, he makes sense as a trade chip who would bring back a good haul.
It would certainly be a controversial strategy to add win-now players at the deadline rather than future assets. But if Giddey has another breakthrough, Buzelis takes the proverbial sophomore leap and White confirms he’s capable of being a team’s top scoring option, the recipe is there for Chicago to finish with a top-eight seed.
