Since the start of the season, the Chicago Bulls were predicted to be sellers by the trade deadline.
Before this year, the Bulls’ last in-season trade was made in 2021 when they acquired Nikola Vucevic. That move signaled the front office’s focus on immediate success, trading away Wendell Carter Jr. — in his third season — and two future first-round picks.
This year was the complete opposite. Trading away Zach LaVine has shown the front office is tanking for the future.
Here is a recap of each move the Bulls made at the deadline and how it reflects the team’s new direction.
ZACH LAVINE
Bulls gave up: Zach LaVine, 2025 second-round pick
Bulls received: Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter, 2025 first-round pick (from Chicago)
This return for LaVine, a two-time All-Star averaging 23.7 points per game on 44% shooting from three, is not what fans would expect for a player of his caliber. However, the fair value was never a realistic possibility.
Under the current CBA, LaVine’s contract made it almost impossible to trade him unless a third team was involved. Just last season, Chicago would have had to add draft capital to get his contract off the books.
Chicago got three bench-level players in the trade, even on a team as weak as the Bulls. Collins and Huerter will make over $16 million a year over the next two seasons, and then they will be off the books. Trading for expiring contracts gives the Bulls financial flexibility down the line.
WHY IT WORKS FOR THE BULLS
The Bulls are going into full rebuild mode after the trade deadline.
Milwaukee showed interest in LaVine, as did the Nuggets earlier in the season. In the end, the Bulls valued financial flexibility and draft capital over what those teams offered.
Many Bulls fans have complained that the first-round pick they got was a “fake” pick and one they would’ve already owned. First, Chicago was not going to be able to shed LaVine’s contract and get another team’s first-round pick in the same trade. Second, this pick had implications past the 2025 draft.
If the Bulls picked inside the top-10 protection, their 2026 first-round pick would go to the Spurs with top-eight protections. Then, if the Bulls picked inside the top-eight in 2026, their 2027 first-round pick would go to the Spurs with the same top-eight protection. Even though Chicago traded for their own pick, it might be the most valuable pick for the Bulls to get back. The Bulls have secured ownership over all of their first-round picks for the next seven years.
This trade signifies Artūras Karnišovas and Marc Eversley working to clean up past mistakes and re-establish the team’s future direction. It’s a move that benefits the Bulls long-term, even though it doesn’t help their current roster. A trade like this only works when an organization is on the same page and led by a trusted and proven general manager.
Chicago does not currently have that.
LONZO BALL
Lonzo Ball signed a two-year, $20 million contract extension on Wednesday. The extension shut down any trade rumors surrounding Ball and cemented his future in Chicago. After losing two years to injury, Ball gets two more years with the Bulls.
WHY IT WORKS FOR THE BULLS
The Bulls see Ball as a key veteran presence in their rebuild. On the court, he’s a high-IQ, pass-first point guard who contributes to winning basketball. Off the court, he provides leadership and a strong work ethic, demonstrated by his extensive rehab process. Ball is a role model for both current and future players.
This extension adds some questions for the offseason. The Bulls are a guard-heavy team. They just extended Ball, but Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu‘s contracts expire after next season. Chicago will have to choose between giving Josh Giddey a qualifying offer or letting him go to free agency after this year. Ball is the first of the many guard decisions the Bulls will have to make in the next year.
NO OTHER TRADES
Although the LaVine trade signaled a potential fire sale, other trades fell apart. Reports suggested the Bulls were in discussions with the Orlando Magic about Coby White, while the Golden State Warriors had interest in Vucevic.
Ultimately, Chicago’s asking price for Vucevic was too high, and no trade materialized.
The Bulls weren’t interested in just dumping players to worsen the team— they wanted appropriate returns. Chicago believes they will get better value in the offseason.
FUTURE OF THE BULLS AFTER TRADE DEADLINE
Rebuilds are long, ugly, and tricky. The Bulls will have to do this the right way so they aren’t stuck in a long-term rebuild like the Hornets and Pistons.
Karnišovas got the job as the Bulls’ executive vice president because of his drafting skills. He was the Nuggets GM when they drafted Nikola Jokic. However, He hasn’t found the same success in Chicago. Karnišovas and Eversley’s first draft pick was Patrick Williams, and then they traded away the Bulls’ future for Vucevic and DeMar DeRozan.
Karnišovas and Eversley can not be trusted to lead this rebuild, and Billy Donovan should not be the coach for it. If the Bulls want to “fully” commit to a rebuild, they can’t keep the coaches and executives who put them in this situation. Donovan has a history of leaving because of a rebuild and seems reluctant to prioritize the development of young players.
For example, Donovan decided to start four guards rather than starting rookie Matas Buzelis. After LaVine was traded, Buzelis scored 24 points in 31 minutes without missing a shot. The next game, he was inserted into the starting lineup. Chicago was never competing for the playoffs, especially after the LaVine trade, and it still took a perfect game from Buzelis for Donovan to start him.
The Bulls need to hit on their draft picks and get a coach whose main focus is developing them.
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