The Chicago Bulls began to tread a new path last summer when they traded Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder. In return, they grabbed 22-year-old point guard Josh Giddey.
Then, the Bulls' most consistent player and team leader, DeMar DeRozan, took his talents to Sacramento to join the Kings.
Chicago appeared to be taking the path less traveled, at least for them: a roster retooling.
Then things changed as Head Coach Billy Donovan's team was once again hanging around the ninth or 10th seed in the Eastern Conference standings with—stop me if you've heard this one—a chance to sneak its way into the play-in tournament.
The franchise quickly corrected course, though, when it was part of a blockbuster deal that sent Zach LaVine to the Kings in exchange for Tre Jones, Zach Collins, Kevin Huerter and a critical first-round draft pick.
That's the only move the Bulls have made so far, however, with less than 24 hours to go until the 2025 NBA trade deadline. If the organization is truly ready to rebuild, it's time to keep carving out the course they've started on but have yet to finish.
Chicago Bulls have to keep making moves ahead of trade deadline
LaVine was the first in-season domino to fall, and it was a long time coming. But Chicago can't stop there.
Nikola Vucevic, a 34-year-old center in the midst of the most efficient offensive season of his career, will never have more value on the open market than he does now. His struggles on defense are well-chronicled, but he's been one of the best shooting big men in the league this season.
Lonzo Ball has recovered from three knee surgeries in two and a half years to morph back into a productive, valuable, reliable floor general. He would be of significant help to a title contender looking for a point guard to steady a bench unit.
Trading a still-improving, 24-year-old guard like Coby White would send more waves across the league this February (certainly not the largest). He's the most valuable trade asset the Bulls have and would fetch the largest return. More importantly, he'll be due for a massive raise in two seasons, and it's a reach to assume Chicago will be a contender at that point.
Ayo Dosunmu, Patrick Williams and any of the three players acquired in the LaVine trade are also surplus to requirements. What the Bulls could get in return for any member of that quintet is likely more important to the franchise's future than the players themselves, considering none of them are stars—or worth star money.
The LaVine trade got Chicago on the right track. The only direction now is forward.