After a busy trade deadline day exactly one month ago, the Chicago Bulls are now trying to right the ship to earn a spot in the play-in tournament next month. At least at this moment, it doesn’t look like the immediate impact that the new front office regime hopes that all the deadline day moves that were made would have on success in the win column have yet to transpire.
The Bulls have posted a record well below .500 since their big deadline day last month. They had any hopes of building a new winning streak this weekend dashed in what amounted to a close loss to former star shooting guard/small forward Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat by a five-point margin on the night of April 24.
This loss to the Heat on April 24 moved the Bulls record on the season now to a very mediocre 25-35. Each time it looks like the Bulls and first-year head coach Billy Donovan are about to turn the corner for good down the stretch this season, they string together a bad losing streak.
It won’t get much easier for the Bulls in the next two weeks either. Coming up are battles with playoff teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, and the Heat again. Next up specifically for Donovan and the up and down Bulls is a meeting with the Heat on the road again on April 26.
A point of no return for the Chicago Bulls
A key point for the Bulls this season will be once star shooting guard Zach LaVine returns to game action from his mandatory quarantine. That will give Donovan a better rotation to work with down the stretch too.
Some of the players the Bulls landed at the deadline, and that they signed in free agency last offseason, haven’t contributed much in a positive sense. The newly acquired players that aren’t doing a whole lot to impact winning efforts down the stretch this season might be on the brink of not coming back for another year with the Bulls too.
Here’s a look into three current first-year Bulls players that are the least likely to return after this season.