Chicago Bulls: 3 players that must go before the rebuild can advance

Denzel Valentine, Chicago Bulls Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Denzel Valentine, Chicago Bulls Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
1 of 4
Denzel Valentine, Chicago Bulls
Denzel Valentine, Chicago Bulls Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

It’s now less than one week until the NBA’s trade deadline is upon us. Could there be changes on the way for the Chicago Bulls after an incredibly inconsistent start post-All-Star Break?

The fan base is pretty frustrated with this Bulls team and first-year head coach Billy Donovan following their big collapse in the second half against the San Antonio Spurs on March 17. The Bulls had a 23 point lead at multiple points of the first half. But the offense sputtered and turnovers became rampant down the stretch in the second half.

All the Bulls needed was to not completely fall on their face in the second half, especially on a hot scoring night from star shooting guard Zach LaVine, not to fall short against the Spurs. But that’s what happened in the end against legendary head coach Gregg Popovich and a still surprisingly resilient Spurs team.

How the Chicago Bulls core can move forward from here?

Following their loss to the Spurs earlier this week, the Bulls now hold a record of 18-21. They’ve lost three of five games since the conclusion of the All-Star Break. And the most frustrating part about that is that the Bulls could have easily won at least two of the three games they lost in that span of time.

It’s becoming crystal clear that the Bulls new front office regime has to make changes to this core sooner rather than later. The roster still is not good enough (or even close to it) to contend in the Eastern Conference. At least there could be change on the way with the looming March 25 trade deadline.

Here’s a look into three Bulls players that must go from this roster before the rebuild can truly move in the right direction.