When the 2024 NBA trade deadline rolled around, it presented the Chicago Bulls with an opportunity. They had a bunch of players on the roster who were wanted by other teams. Squads around the NBA were willing to throw picks at the Bulls in exchange for these players, and not only was the fanbase ready to accept a rebuild, they were eager for it.
Instead, the Bulls decided to do nothing. Absolutely nothing. For the third year in a row, the Bulls made zero moves at the trade deadline, instead choosing to keep the same roster that’s been a middle-of-the-pack team since its inception.
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times recently ripped into the team, noting that their lack of realism is hindering them and that hope is all they have.
“The Bulls announced Friday that forward Patrick Williams will have season-ending surgery to repair an injury to his left foot,” Cowley wrote. “It wasn’t a real surprise, considering he had missed the last 10 games, but his absence will leave them with a lack of physicality on defense.
“Add in a sprained right knee for forward Torrey Craig, who will be reevaluated in two to four weeks, and there’s a reason rookie Julian Phillips was the sixth man against the Celtics.
“Then there are minutes concerns for starters DeMar DeRozan and Coby White, not to mention coach Billy Donovan being forced to use guards Alex Caruso and Ayo Dosunmu to defend bigger players on a nightly basis.
“The Bulls’ hope is that it will be sustainable. Then again, hope is all they have.”
Chicago is stuck in the mud, but only because that’s where they chose to be.
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