If it wasn’t time before, it’s time now. The Chicago Bulls have now lost four consecutive games, to the Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Pelicans, Atlanta Hawks, and Charlotte Hornets. If four losses to the squads mentioned above don’t scream rebuild, what does?

Chicago’s first of four defeats came at home against the Kings. The Bulls lead halfway through the contest and by as many as six in the third quarter before losing by four. Sacramento is no slouch, winning straight games before heading to the United Center. However, the Kings’ streak still felt somewhat flukey after firing Mike Brown just two weeks prior.

After an acceptable loss to the Kings, Chicago faced the nine-win Pelicans just two days later. Missing Brandon Ingram and Herb Jones, New Orleans defeated the Bulls, outscoring Chicago by 12 points in the second half. The Pelicans won despite shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 28.0 percent from three.

Two consecutive losses aren’t the end of the world, especially against the streaking Kings and somewhat healthy Pelicans. Then came the Hawks. Although they owned a winning record, Atlanta came to Chicago without Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, De’Andre Hunter, and Zaccharie Risacher. Still, the Hawks defeated the Bulls by 16 points, led by career-highs from undrafted rookies Keaton Wallace and Daeqwon Plowden.

On January 17, the Bulls hit a new nadir. Still at home, Chicago welcomed the 10-28 Hornets to town. In a battle between the Ball brothers, the Bulls allowed 73 first-half points to the league’s third-worst-scoring offense. After building a five-point third-quarter lead, the Bull scored only 20 points in the final stanza to lose 125-123.

The Bulls’ Front Office must finally hit the rebuild button

These four losses come after Chicago won its last five of seven contests, notably defeating the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, and San Antonio Spurs. A week after their most recent victory, the Bulls remain 10th in the Eastern Conference, ahead of the injury-ravaged Philadelphia 76ers and rebuilding Brooklyn Nets.

Despite facing an uphill (downhill?) battle to retain their top-10 selection in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Bulls’ recent four-game skid is the most alarming indication that the belated rebuild must start now. With less than three weeks until the trade deadline, it’s imperative that the front office makes at least one move to signal the rebuild is underway.

The Bulls’ roster is littered with obvious trade candidates such as Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball, and even veterans like Torrey Craig. While Craig won’t net a large return, a future second-round pick is better than standing pat—awaiting for the 34-year-old to sign elsewhere in unrestricted free agency in the offseason.

Vucevic is guaranteed a better return than most players on the roster. He’s a walking double-double, shooting north of 40 percent from beyond the arc. The 6-foot-10 big man most recently scored 40 points on 17-of-25 shooting against the Hornets. The Golden State Warriors have shown interest in acquiring Vooch, something the Bulls should explore to the fullest. Golden State is the second-oldest team in the NBA, currently in 11th place in the vaunted Western Conference. The desperation to acquire a difference-maker down the stretch is evident.

There might not be an active trade market for LaVine due to the three years and over $130 million he’s owed on his contract. Nevertheless, if any opportunity presents itself, the Bulls should bite. Even more so regarding Ball, who’s set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

The Bulls’ Front Office has been harped on to tear down the mediocre roster for some time now. The long-awaited rebuild was soft-launched after trading Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan in the offseason. Now, midway through the 2024-25 season amid a four-game losing streak, a hard launch is a requisite.