For years, the Chicago Bulls ran from a rebuild.
The front office’s vision for a new-look team centered around Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan evaporated in January 2022 when an injury to Lonzo Ball eliminated the center of gravity for the entire roster. But the Bulls still trudged through two summers and three trade deadlines with a mantra of “continuity” and a refusal to blow things up.
Until now. Executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas wouldn’t tip his hand after the first round of the NBA draft Wednesday night. But Karnišovas is no longer claiming that consistency is the antidote for the Bulls’ inability to compete in the Eastern Conference.
And with free agency beginning at 5 p.m. CDT Sunday, the Bulls could be on the precipice of enacting real change to clear the slate and start fresh with younger talent.
The Bulls already began a trend toward a younger roster when they traded 30-year-old Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for 21-year-old guard Josh Giddey. They stayed on theme by selecting 19-year-old Matas Buzelis with the No. 11 pick in the draft Wednesday.
But any true overhaul to focus on a future youth movement starts with the three veteran stars on the roster: LaVine, 29, Vučević, 33, and DeRozan, 34.
LaVine is already the main focus of any potential trade for the front office this summer. Now the Bulls are beginning to similarly float offers for Vučević. And after spending the last year intent on DeRozan’s future in Chicago, Karnišovas would not commit to whether the Bulls plan — or hope — to re-sign the veteran forward when free agency opens next weekend.
“We’re going to look at everything,” Karnišovas said. “Everything is on the table.”
This is the first time in three years that Karnišovas has refused to commit on his Big Three. And for the Bulls, this change in psyche could change everything — at least in terms of roster construction and expectations for the 2024-25 season.
If the Bulls can offload LaVine and Vučević … and if they don’t re-sign DeRozan … and if they re-sign Patrick Williams … the front office could produce a roster with an average age nearing 25.
That’s a lot of ifs. And the next question, of course, is what the Bulls can do with all that talent, which will take years of effort and expertise to develop into a truly competitive group.
In addition, it might take a few lopsided deals to get there. The trade for Giddey already was criticized for the lack of any picks bundled in with the guard, who is coming off the worst season of his three-year career and being functionally unplayable in the playoffs.
Karnišovas defended the trade on draft night, saying they valued Giddey’s ability to produce at his age and stature over the potential that any draft pick would hold.
“I feel that this deal was fair,” Karnišovas said. “Both sides got what they wanted. What OKC accomplished, they got a guy that guards and … we went with Josh, who is still 21 years old and has been very productive as we look into the future. So that was the rationale behind it. I think it was a good deal for both.”
If Karnišovas truly stands by this defense, the Bulls could be in for more player-heavy trades that are lacking in future picks. It is a difficult formula with which to complete a true rebuild. The Bulls also are in a precarious with next year’s first-round pick, which is promised to the San Antonio Spurs unless they land a top-10 selection — a factor that Karnišovas said would not affect the team’s approach to the 2024-25 season.
The Bulls could be equally on track for something resembling a “retool” rather than a rebuild, especially if they continue to struggle to find a landing spot for LaVine or Vučević. This is a middle ground but still would provide an opportunity for the team to begin building a future with young players such as Giddey, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu.
Karnišovas isn’t interested in defining his future roster identity just yet. But he was confident Wednesday that clarity would be in the opening two weeks of free agency.
“I think directional stuff, we’re going to be able to establish (more) in a week or two,” Karnišovas said. “I’m going to wait. I’m going to let the free-agency process work out, and we’re going to have more information.”
