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Rivals Review: Chicago Bulls

Taking a closer look at an opponent's offseason.
By | 12 Comments | Aug 19, 2024

Mar 13, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan (11) and guard Alex Caruso (6) celebrate a basket to tie the game and go to overtime against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

To get us through the late-Summer doldrums of the NBA, we’re reviewing teams from around the league and how their offseasons went. 

Chicago Bulls

Key Additions:

Jalen Smith
Josh Giddey
Matas Buzelis
Chris Duarte

Key Losses:

DeMar DeRozan
Alex Caruso
Andre Drummond

Offseason Review and 2024-25 Season Outlook:

The Bulls are, quite frankly, a total disaster. I do not understand what they’ve been doing the last several years, and you could pretty easily make an argument that the Bulls are one of the worst-run teams in the NBA. I think you’d struggle to find anyone to disagree with you, even among Bulls fans. The Bulls have some good players, just good enough to avoid completely bottoming out but not good enough to actually accomplish anything.

The Bulls managed in a single offseason to complete three baffling displays of incompetence. First, the Bulls trade Alex Caruso to the Thunder for Josh Giddey, and managed to not extract a single draft asset from OKC, despite the Thunder owning most of the league’s draft assets for the next decade. And sure, Josh Giddey is still just 21 years old and is a really gifted passer, but he doesn’t do much else and also comes with the cloud of offcourt allegations (official investigations have been closed with no action taken, but the cloud will remain). Giddey is also a Restricted Free Agent after this season, so the Bulls will need to pay him and use up a good chunk of their upcoming cap space from Lonzo Ball finally coming off the books after this year.

The Bulls then signed Jalen Smith, a good player on a fair contract, but the Bulls used the MLE to sign him, meaning they were hard-capped at the first apron. And again, I don’t hate the signing, but it doesn’t really make sense when you look at the rest of the roster. The Bulls had already re-signed Patrick Williams, and still have Nikola Vucevic. Smith is a fine, versatile backup big man with some upside, so in a vacuum it isn’t a bad move, but the hard cap directly leads us to stupid move #3.

The Bulls agreed to a sign-and-trade sending DeMar DeRozan to the Kings, and all the Bulls got back for trading their best player was Chris Duarte and a second rounder. The Spurs acted as the third team in the deal, receiving Harrison Barnes and a 2031 pick swap with the Kings. So why does the hard cap from before matter? Because that’s the reason the Bulls didn’t get the pick swap. That’s the reason the Bulls couldn’t take on Harrison Barnes themselves. Just a massive mismanagement of assets and cap space by the Chicago front office.

Chicago also spent the offseason unsuccessfully trying to trade Zach LaVine, but found zero takers.

The future is bleak in the Windy City unless Giddey and/or Matas Buzelis massively exceed expectations. But the Bulls will be good enough to flirt with the Play-In every year, and that seems to be good enough for Bulls ownership.

Why We Hate Them:

I hated the Bulls when they signed Jalen Smith, and hated them again when they traded Caruso to Oklahoma City instead of Sacramento. But then they helped us get DeMar DeRozan and I can’t be mad at the Bulls anymore.

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murraytant
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August 19, 2024 10:01 am

Da Bulls.
I like them because they took Duarte off our hands. My high hopes for Duarte were dashed. Indy knew that.
Glad Kings did not bite on LaVine and got DDR instead. That was unexpected.
Caruso? not sure. Too late now anyway. Kings have Ellis and maybe Carter as primary defender types and they don’t cost much relative to Caruso. The price for him seemed high and OKC had what they apparently wanted.
DDR and Caruso would have been potentially redundant. and DDR much better and the cost for him was the same or less than the potential cost for Caruso.
Monte can make another move with aggregating Jalen within a couple of weeks. Will he preserve shooting and keep Hueter and get a less player or will he sacrifice shooting, include Huerter and get a better player. I hope he moves Jalen.
However it happens, Kings need more length at 3/4. Skal is not it, nor is Jalen.
Looking forward to the season and the pain it will cause.

Adamsite
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Nostradumbass 14
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August 19, 2024 10:15 am

You nailed it, Greg. The Bulls really are a shit show of asset management. They truly remind me of the Kings playoff drought run. They have fine players, but can’t seem to get things to gel, much like the Kings squad that had three 20pt scorers in one season with DMC, Gay, and IT. Good on paper but lousy on the court.

The Bull, much like the drought era Kings, can’t seem to get bad enough to get quality picks or good enough to sniff the playoffs. Late lottery purgatory is a very real thing and they seem destined for it for the next few years. IMO, they should blow everything up and move LaVine, Vuc, and Ball for pennies on the dollar. They need to join teams like Brooklyn and tank away the season…or two.

UpgradedToQuestionable
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August 19, 2024 12:57 pm

It is my default to compare all WTF moves a team makes to mire themselves in disappointment to the Kangz. Such it is with the Bullz. I find the comp that Adamsite used to the Boogie/Rudy/Pizza Guy Kings is very clever.

It is a mystery why they aren’t better in many ways: Billy Donovan is a good coach. Or at least he was very very good in GatorTown (U of Fla, Gainesville). Marc Eversly on the other hand is entering his 4th season as GM. I don’t get it.

The Major Markets of the U.S. – New York, L.A., Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston, D.C., SF, Phoenix. It used to be that the Knicks were the big disappointment for The Association, having dismal teams (Jimmy Dolan) and finally that has turned around, and in a nice way. IMO, Chicago has become that weak link for the League.

I am delighted that Sac has DeMar DeRozan on the squad this season and I am looking forward to seeing him on the court. The other Bull I desire to see in Sacramento, and I don’t think it will happen, is Nikola Vucevic. He is a great fit for the frontcourt, IMO. He provides Domas relief and has enough of a reliable outside game to play in tandem with The Ox. He’s got $41.5M/2 seasons which fits the Sac timeline. I’m probably the only one who would do this, but Huerter and Devin Carter for Vooch works on the NBA Trade Machine.

The Bulls appear rudderless and unlucky. Major changes need to happen. Jerry Reinsdorf is 88 years old. He also owns the White Sox. It would seem that an ownership change is imminent.

murraytant
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August 19, 2024 5:20 pm
Reply to  Greg

agree. Not good value
and with no pick next year and getting lucky in the draft (Kings picked #13, had Carter ranked higher) they need to keep youth.
That said, I hope Carter is not Davion v. 2

Adamsite
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Nostradumbass 14
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August 19, 2024 5:30 pm
Reply to  murraytant

Was just about to post the same thing about value. With the new CBA teams MUST have players on rookie scales, vet minimums, undrafted/2nd round contracts. Controlled assets on a bargain contracts are going to be a premium with the new apron rules. Having one aging vet (DeRozan) on a $20M+ contract is fine, but having more than that is cap suicide. Invest in your stars (Fox and Sabonis) and surround them with role players on good cost to production contracts. The Kings have potentially 2 starters on those kinds of contracts in Keegan and Ellis…for the next 2 seasons!

IMO, the only reason any GM should go over one, or even both, of the aprons is if they feel they are a title contending team.

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August 19, 2024 6:29 pm

by the by – I think it interesting that Guerschon Yabusele will be joining fellow Frenchman TeamUSA Center Joel Embiid on that Sixer squad after his Olympic basketball run, particularly the Gold medal game.

Could work out I guess. Who was that player the Kings drafted and then cut that went on to play for the Supersonics and had a nice playoff run one year which parlayed into a big contract with the Knicks ? Jerome James? This deal made me think of him. (probably unfairly).

murraytant
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August 19, 2024 10:14 pm

Jerome James !! a player from the past.
I think the Euro failure with Sasha made any move for Yabusele politically impossible.
and I am not convinced he is a big time NBA talent.

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August 19, 2024 8:00 pm

Oh, and also off topic:

I know he plays for another team, but it’s Kris Murray’s birthday today! Happy 24!

murraytant
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August 19, 2024 10:15 pm

That Kris- he has a brother in the NBA too.

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August 20, 2024 8:37 am
Reply to  murraytant

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