I had a fresh bouquet ready to deliver to the Chicago Bulls’ offices at the Advocate Center on Thursday afternoon. Instead, a singular tulip petal has been left at reception.
Arturas Karnisovas roped everybody in when finally striking a deal for two-time All-Star Zach LaVine. Joining the De’Aaron Fox trade to San Antonio, the return left a little to be desired but still handed the Bulls some much-needed future flexibility. This included retrieving their 2025 first-round pick, which officially removed concerns about conveying the selection either now or in the future (it would have been top-8 protected in 2026 and 2027). Having full control of your picks moving forward is pivotal when embarking on a rebuild, and that’s precisely the path the Bulls put themselves on by trading LaVine.
Equally as important, however, is adding draft capital and opening up space for player development. A LaVine trade should have burst open the floodgates and made the Bulls full-blown sellers. Instead, as the clock struck 2:00 p.m. CT on Thursday, not a single Shams Charania notification featured the Bulls’ name.
Despite endless rumors regarding Nikola Vucevic – and the Warriors reportedly calling at the last second – the big man will finish out another season in a Bulls uniform. Lonzo Ball had also been a popular name on the market, yet the Bulls chose to provide him with an extension versus a winning environment. Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter, and Zach Collins – who were added via the LaVine trade – were not flipped elsewhere for more assets or financial flexibility. And a bidding war couldn’t be formed for Coby White even with a reported SEVEN teams calling.
We all know it takes two to tango, and the Chicago Bulls seemingly had a ballroom full of professional dancers ready to go. Nonetheless, they refused to grab a single hand, insisting they were better on their own. It’s a decision that makes little to no sense, as well as one that has turned into a painful multi-year-long trend.
Is it possible the Bulls are able to complete their roster blow-up in the offseason? Sure. But that’s what we were told about this upcoming deadline! This was supposed to be an extremely active period where the Bulls finally established a clear direction. What they have done is further kick the can down the road, and how can we believe that they will not do this again next summer? In what way have they proven they deserve the benefit of the doubt?
© Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn ImagesArturas Karnisovas had a chance to defend his decision-making on Thursday afternoon and explain the organization’s plan moving forward. What unfolded was a disastrous press conference that only painted a more confusing picture.
“I know fans what a specific plan, and we’re charting that path now. We are not done yet. We’re in a transitional phase and there is more to come. We got through the trade deadline, and as we move through the rest of the season, draft, and free agency, we’ll continue shaping the future of this team. That’s where the plan stands,” Karnisovas said following the trade deadline.
“We’re committing to building a sustainable, winning team. We’re not ok with being in the middle. Curating a team that competes at a high level and can compete for a championship has been our goal.”
These are the kind of comments you make in an introductory press conference 48 hours after you’re hired to take over an organization. Coming up with a plan to pitch fans shouldn’t be this complicated roughly five years into your career.
Likewise, Karnisovas continues to insist that the organization is not comfortable sitting in the middle, yet he proceeded to describe a Play-In Tournament appearance as an acceptable feat:
“Those are the possibilities, right? We might get a high draft pick or we might be in the Play-In, [or] we might be in the playoffs. I think I was saying if this young nucleus can get you to the Play-In and playoffs it’s going to be growth in terms fo your young players and development … that’s worth it for me,” Karnisovas said.
Karnisovas is practically telling us that whatever happens happens. He’s acting as if he has zero outcome over the results and will simply have to roll with the punches. No, a third-straight Play-In Tournament appearance wouldn’t be “worth it” for this franchise. What more will Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Patrick Williams, and Dalen Terry learn from that? The same can be said about Josh Giddey, who has more playoff experience than any of those players.
Look, we all value player development, but Matas Buzelis isn’t going to turn into Jayson Tatum because he goes on one measly Play-In run. There is an opportunity cost to everything in the NBA, folks. A postseason appearance is not worth more than attempting to add another high-upside talent in a deep 2025 NBA Draft. Karnisovas is almost speaking like he is the 2022-23 Thunder, who already had building blocks Shai Gilegous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren on the roster. If a team with that much young talent – and future draft picks – stumbles into the Play-In … great! The Bulls don’t have the stars or the assets to approach things this way.
The problem isn’t any specific trade the Bulls failed to pull off, it’s what the absence of any additional trade represents. If Chicago was willing to take on a rebuild in earnest – as many people believe they should – more action would have been taken. We’re now supposed to trust Karnisovas’ word that a plan is coming together and problems will be solved this offseason.
For many Bulls fans, that trust has been broken.
You can watch Arturas Karnisovas’ full media availability on YouTube here.
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