The Chicago Bulls have long been stuck in mediocrity. Chicago has made the Play-In four straight years, and the front office has done nothing to either compete at the next level or tank.
However, the Bulls are now at risk of missing the Play-In. They lost 2-1 in their in-season “series” against the No. 8-seeded Miami Heat, getting blown out by 43 points in the final game. Plus, the Charlotte Hornets have been the best team in 2026 and are the No. 11 seed.
The No. 10-seeded Atlanta Hawks look to be players at the trade deadline, already making a trade to free up a roster spot. All three of these teams are better than the current Bulls. Right now is the time to commit to either the Play-In or the draft.
Chicago already made one trade this year, sending away Emanuel Miller and getting back Dario Saric and two second-round picks. Getting draft capital is a rare occurrence for Arturas Karnisovas; most of his trades involve sending away picks or one-for-one swaps. This trade was a win for the Bulls, and it might hint at Chicago’s mindset leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline.
Why Will This Trade Deadline Be Different for Bulls?
The Bulls’ front office and ownership are constantly called out for their inability to assess their own team. They make one or two trades a year that aren’t needle movers and end up in the same spot as the year before. But this deadline will be different.
First, they finally have competition for the Play-In. Their average instinct to “do nothing” will likely have them finish as the No. 11 seed. Secondly, most of Chicago’s rumored trade targets are young players on the same timeline as Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis.
That is why it is not surprising that the Bulls are willing to part ways with Coby White, who would likely sign an extension. The two teams rumored to be interested in White are the Timberwolves and Rockets. The Timberwolves would likely send young players, while the Rockets would offload a contract with a first-round pick attached.
Recent Trade Hints at Chicago’s Plans for the Future
Finally, the recent trade hints at the direction the front office has chosen: acquiring assets. Chicago took on a bad expiring contract with picks attached. That is how the Thunder built their pick collection, alongside the Paul George trade. Teams trying to win don’t make these kinds of moves.
Then you look at the Bulls’ roster. It is full of contracts expiring this offseason. These contracts could be used to trade for a star on a big contract that a team is willing to move off of, such as Zion Williamson or Giannis Antetokounmpo.
DraftKings, as of Sunday, had the Bulls as the second-best odds for which team Giannis would play his next regular season minute for after the trade deadline, only behind the Bucks.
In reality, Chicago is just prioritizing financial flexibility for the future. Karnisovas wants to have a fresh start with Giddey and Buzelis as the foundation. Trading away White and Ayo Dosunmu while letting Nikola Vucevic, Kevin Huerter, Zach Collins, and Saric walk in free agency gives the Bulls’ front office the financial flexibility they want and multiple open roster spots. The oldest player under contract next season is 27-year-old Tre Jones.
The Bulls are finally looking past the current season, targeting future production with young players and draft picks. Trading away current production like White and Dosunmu also makes their own picks better in this year’s draft.
After years of stagnation, Karnisovas is finally moving on to the next era of the Chicago Bulls.
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