Team No. 3: Chicago Bulls
Moves Chicago made: Trading for Nikola Vucevic, signing Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan
In 2021, the Chicago Bulls leveraged their long-term assets to try and contend for a championship, and it backfired. The Bulls traded Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr., and two first-round picks to the Orlando Magic for Nikola Vucevic and Al-Farouq Aminu. One of those first-round picks turned into Franz Wagner, who would have been an ideal rebuilding piece had they decided to go in the other direction. They also acquired DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball in sign-and-trades. DeRozan on a three-year, $85 million deal, and Ball on a four-year, $85 million.
Since the win-now moves, the Bulls have finished with the following regular season records:
- 2021-22: 46-36 (6th in the East)
- 2022-23: 40-42 (10th in the East)
- 2023-24: 39-43 (9th in the East)
Especially given Lonzo Ball’s unfortunate injury history as of late, the Bulls are nowhere near close to making a deep playoff run. It was evident their trio experiment would not be successful at the end of the 2021-22 season, and they still kept relatively the same roster the following two seasons.
What this means for Portland: Don’t get stuck in mediocrity.
The Bulls have a few promising up-and-coming pieces, such as Coby White and Patrick Williams. They can also trade Zach LaVine for younger assets, but for the most part, they are pretty stuck in their current situation as an average basketball team.
The Blazers should use the Bulls as an example of why it’s important not to go all in unless you are truly ready to contend. As Henderson and Sharpe continue to progress, it will be tempting to add another piece to make the Blazers playoff-relevant again. It’s important not to sacrifice the future to make the playoffs. The Blazers should “trust the process” and continue rebuilding primarily through the draft.