Two weeks ago, the Bulls had won five of their last seven, were pushing into the top six of the Eastern Conference standings, were backing off trade rumors surrounding Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine, and the head coach and players were being asked about their goals for the season concerning the playoff race. Unsurprisingly, Billy Donovan and LaVine remained firm that the team would constantly compete for a playoff berth and that the top-ten protected draft pick in the upcoming NBA draft was meaningless to the current objective. In true Chicago fashion, they followed up that stellar stretch with two blowout losses at the hands of the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, two serious Eastern Conference contenders. In a month that has been precisely mediocre and provided no insight for the future, Monday night provided the Bulls’ front office with the most influential piece of evidence they have seen yet this season, and it should kickstart crucial decisions to commence.
In their most recent homestand, the Bulls hosted two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. However, the Bulls continued their lackluster home performance. They’re now 4-11 in the United Center, most recently losing by 21 points to the Bucks without their two All-NBA superstars, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. In lamen terms, they got 20-balled for the second straight time at home, this time to a team without their two best players and nobody else averaging at least 14 points per game.
Bulls getting doubled up by the Bucks without Giannis and Dame. This is the tank you've been waiting for.
— Ross Pins (@chisportsross) December 24, 2024
Despite signs of life over the last two weeks potentially haunting the inevitable firesale at the trade deadline, Saturday and Monday night should very clearly indicate that the Chicago Bulls cannot compete with the class of the Eastern Conference. A failure to trade aging assets at this stage would represent apparent front office malfunction, especially with the risk of losing their protected top-ten 2025 NBA Draft pick.
The two main assets Chicago has to leverage into future capital are Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. Several reports have indicated that a Michael Porter Jr. for LaVine swap is close to a done deal, with a third team required to absorb the excess contract and finish the transaction. Six teams have recently publicized that they need frontcourt help, and a stretch five with the abilities of Vucevic can be invaluable to a fringe-contending roster. The Bulls best option is to trade both, sink in the standings this season, and continue the rebuild into 2025 with Porter Jr., a top-ten draft pick this summer, and a chunk of newfound salary cap space.
The Chicago Bulls are looking to trade Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, per @JCowleyHoops pic.twitter.com/7zJ46585li
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 25, 2024
If a 25-point loss to the top-seeded Celtics and a 21-point loss to the fifth-seeded Bucks sans their two best players don’t prove that the 2024 Chicago Bulls are not a playoff team, nothing will. Hopefully, the front office has determined this franchise’s direction and will begin taking action to support their choice.
