Chicago has not had its season go as planned. The Chicago Bulls were a playoff team a season ago and appeared to be heading on the right track until the 2022-2023 season happened. The Bulls are currently on the outside…

Chicago has not had its season go as planned. The Chicago Bulls were a playoff team a season ago and appeared to be heading on the right track until the 2022-2023 season happened. The Bulls are currently on the outside looking in with a 12-18 record this season.

Lonzo Ball has also missed the season due to an injury, which could be one reason Chicago has not been as good this season. At the beginning of the season, NBA picks had them as one of the teams to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. Will Chicago be sellers at the trade deadline?

Very Possible, But Not a Big Wholesale Change 

The Bulls can very well be sellers at the trade deadline, but it will not be a big sell-off like people will potentially make it to be. The only player that makes sense to trade at the current moment is center Nikola Vucevic. He is going to be very valuable to a basketball team that needs a big man and the NBA trade deadline.

Nikola Vucevic will need to be traded to a winnow basketball team. Vucevic was traded from the Orlando Magic to the Chicago Bulls via a trade deadline a couple of seasons ago. He has an expiring contract at the end of the season. His cap hit is $22 million, and he is 32 years old. 

One of the potential teams that could make a lot of sense is the Brooklyn Nets. They have players like Nic Claxton, David Duke Jr., and Kessler Edwards to trade away that Chicago would want at the trade deadline. Those three players have proven that they could play for Brooklyn when other players get injured, and that would be perfect for fixing the Bulls a little bit and getting some younger pieces in there. The Nets don’t have any draft picks to trade away to Chicago.

Zach LaVine Is Untouchable 

LaVine just recently signed a contract extension with the Chicago Bulls, and he isn’t going anywhere this season. He is signed through the 2026-2027 season, and it would take a massive overhaul for Chicago to trade him. Zach LaVine draws Bulls fans to the game on a night-to-night basis. He is one of the most electrifying players in the entire NBA.

He is only 27 years old and is in the prime of his NBA career. LaVine will probably be selected for the NBA All-Star Game again this season. It would have to take multiple NBA players and first-round picks to get a deal done, but he is the face of the franchise until further notice.

DeMar DeRozan Is a Dicey Situation

DeRozan is owed over $27 for the next two seasons. His contract expires after 2023-2024 with the Chicago Bulls. Would Chicago trade him this season, knowing teams that could use his services realize he isn’t a rental player? Or would the Bulls wait until next season and trade him before the season or during the trade deadline, knowing they won’t potentially re-sign him?

He is currently 33 years old. DeMar DeRozan can be valuable to some playoff teams. A team like the Miami Heat or the Memphis Grizzlies can use a player like him. The Bulls would like to hang onto him, but they might feel like a potential retools or rebuild might be inevitable. If they decide to move off DeRozan, they will potentially move some more pieces.

The Rest Of the Roster Doesn’t Look Great

Alex Caruso, Patrick Williams, Coby White, and Andre Drummond are other interesting parts of this roster. Williams has not developed into the player that Chicago was hoping for, and at best, he is just a role player. They would hope he had turned into a star player by now, but it didn’t work out. A change of scenery could maybe get his game to the next level.

The Bulls have his rights, and maybe they think he can still be something. However, he will be an RFA in 2024. That will be up to management in the front office, and head coach Billy Donovan has done his best with him.