Following a hectic day that saw the Chicago Bulls re-sign the fan-favorite guard Ayo Dosunmu and bring international prospect Onuralp Bitim on board, the roster has finally begun to come together. Arturas Karnisovas has received a lot of flak over the last calendar year for stressing continuity and not making many moves, so it’s been a relief to see him be proactive here.
With 14 of the main roster spots now occupied and Bitim coming in to take Chicago’s final of three two-way contract slots, the ship is nearly full and ready to set sail. But while we await news of the Bulls’ final potential free agent signing, the thought hasn’t escaped me that there’s still a possibility of an offseason trade to shake things up.
Chicago Bulls trade tiers: Who could realistically be traded?
Even if the Bulls don’t pull the trigger on a big move before the summer ends, that certainly doesn’t remove the possibility of a midseason deal. As a middle-of-the-road team at the moment, it’s not all that crazy to imagine Chicago swinging a trade to go all-in or blow things up if the team ends up overachieving or underwhelming.
But in terms of actually discussing hypothetical trade scenarios, there’s certainly a hierarchy here for the Bulls’ assets. Some players Chicago may be willing to part with, others… not so much. Let’s dive in here as we separate all 17 players on the roster into clear and defined ‘trade tiers’ to make sense of just who could potentially be on the move sometime this season.
Tier 4: Trade fodder and salary filler
- Torrey Craig
- Carlik Jones
- Justin Lewis
- Adama Sanogo
- Onuralp Bitim
Having just signed a two-year deal (with a player option for the second season), it’s unlikely Torrey Craig is traded any time over the next two seasons. With practically no depth at the forward positions, Craig will be an essential piece of this roster moving forward. If for some reason the Bulls do decide to blow things up and rebuild. however, Craig could be seen as an attractive asset to attach at the end of the deal due to his proven production and minimal cost.
As for Chicago’s trio of players on two-way contracts, none have actually played a game of NBA action just yet. Considering Justin Lewis was touted as the best undrafted prospect in 2022, Adama Sanogo is a national champion, and Onuralp Bitim has compiled an impressive resume overseas, each of these players is well worth a deeper look. Viewing any of them as an actual trade asset, however, would be foolish.