As if the Chicago Bulls didn't have enough problems to address this summer, the trade deadline and front office have now added to the organizational headache. Because, of course, they have.
The trade-deadline adjacent Zach LaVine move brought in guards Kevin Huerter and Tre Jones, along with big man Zach Collins, in addition to an admittedly valuable draft pick.
Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas told the media that he didn't make any more trades—i.e., sending out Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball, Coby White or any other player of value—because he wanted roster continuity.
Well, adding three new faces to a roster that lost its offensive focal point doesn't do much for team interconnectedness.
Now, Head Coach Billy Donovan must figure out a way to incorporate Huerter, Jones and Collins for the last few months of the regular season and decide whether they can be long-term pieces or just assets to move on from during the offseason.
It should come as no surprise, though, that Karnisovas and the front office won't do anything to make that job easy.
Billy Donovan has yet another challenge ahead of him this season
Huerter and Jones join a crowded backcourt that already includes White, Ball, Ayo Dosunmu and Josh Giddey, four guards who've been entrenched in Donovan's rotation all season.
Collins has to force his way into a frontcourt that still includes Vucevic and also heavily features Matas Buzelis, Patrick Williams and Jalen Smith.
Jones is on an expiring contract, so Chicago could simply let him walk in free agency this summer. Huerter and Collins, however, have another year left on their deals, so the Bulls need to decide what to do with them heading into 2025-26.
That means Donovan has to work them into the rotation somehow, or at least track them during practices, to see whether they fit with the franchise long-term. Based on his recent comments per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times (h/t HoopsRumors), he'll have to accomplish that on his own as he's received no instruction on how much, or how little, to play his newest arrivals.
"“(The front office hasn’t) come out and said that to me like that, but I do think that there would be organizationally, no question, you want to find out about those guys, they’re here. Can they help our team, can they impact our team, and who are they as players?""Bulls Head Coach Billy Donovan
That could be interpreted as a good thing; Donovan hasn't been explicitly told, "Play these guys and see where they fit." In some ways, though, that would be helpful. Because now, he only has 28 games to figure out what comes next for a franchise that's sitting precariously on a tipping point.