4. Upgrade at point guard
Lonzo Ball played just 35 games with the Bulls since being acquired in August of 2021. Chicago went 22-13 in those contests, which is a 51-win pace over a full season. Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are both elite scorers, and Nikola Vucevic is an underrated big man. The Bulls have talent, but they need a point guard that can run the offense and connect everybody.
Chicago had it in Ball, but they can no longer count on him. He is owed $41.8 million over the next two years, which the Bulls will have to eat. The franchise should be investing in getting him healthy and resuming his career, but that feels like a long shot after missing 2.5 years of action.
The franchise should be all-in on winning or rebuilding. If they chose to contend, the Bulls must look to trade Pat Williams and Alex Caruso for a starting point guard. It would leave them a bit thin on the wing, but they could go bargain-hunting in free agency to fill the void.
Without a new starting point guard, the Chicago Bulls will hover around .500 and be back in the Play-In Tournament next season. They found an upgrade in the buyout market last season that they should bring back to help round out their roster.