The Chicago Bulls made seven, yes, count ‘em, seven, trades at the deadline, leaving their roster almost unrecognizable from just days ago.
Bulls face chaotic roster shakeup
Coming in (alphabetically) are Anfernee Simons, Collin Sexton, Guerschon Yabusele, Jaden Ivey, Leonard Miller, Nick Richards, and Rob Dillingham, plus nine, yes, count ‘em again, nine second-round picks. Heading out are Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White, Dalen Terry, Emanuel Miller, Julian Phillips, Kevin Huerter, and Nikola Vucevic, along with Jevon Carter, who was waived, and Dario Saric, Mike Conley Jr., and Ousmane Dieng, who were all rerouted in subsequent trades.
This trade deadline has been a whirlwind for Bulls fans. Chicago’s roster has been a near-constant revolving door over the past few days, making it hard to keep track. With so much movement comes an unpredictable depth chart. Billy Donovan isn’t the one making the trades, but he’ll face the daunting task of finding cohesive lineups amid the flurry.
Of course, not all rosters are created equal, especially in today’s NBA. Whatever lineup Chicago trots out will likely be far from perfect positionally, a fact that holds for the Bulls’ depth chart as well. In today’s positionless NBA, that challenge is only amplified.
Chicago Bulls updated depth chart
Nonetheless, here’s our take on what the Bulls’ depth chart looks like following the trade deadline.
Point Guard: Josh Giddey, Tre Jones, Rob Dillingham
Shooting Guard: Anfernee Simons, Jaden Ivey, Collin Sexton
Small Forward: Isaac Okoro, Patrick Williams
Power Forward: Matas Buzelis, Guerschon Yabusele, Leonard Miller
Center: Jalen Smith, Zach Collins, Nick Richards
Injured Reserve: Noa Esssengue
At point guard, Josh Giddey remains the mainstay, with Tre Jones serving as the secondary floor general. Both guards are currently injured, however, which means recently acquired combo guards Simons, Sexton, Ivey, and Dillingham can all slide into the point guard role if needed. That said, the smallest of the group, Dillingham, is listed as the third point guard on the depth chart. But just because he’s third doesn’t mean he won’t see the floor. Chicago traded for the former eighth overall pick for a reason.
The shooting guard rotation currently consists of Simons, Ivey, and Sexton, in that order. It’s tough to predict who will get the most minutes, and at least one of these smaller two-guards will likely slide up to the three from time to time. While Ivey might be the least productive of the trio, expect the former Piston to see meaningful minutes, especially as he’ll be a restricted free agent after this season.
Small forward is where things get tricky. The Bulls have 2–3 true small forwards: Isaac Okoro, Matas Buzelis, and Patrick Williams. However, the latter two have spent much of their time moonlighting at power forward. For the sake of lineup continuity and the need to accommodate a slew of guards, we’ve slotted Okoro as the starter, with Williams as the primary reserve at the three. That said, it’s quite possible Buzelis could start at the three, with Okoro serving as his backup.
With Buzelis not yet bumped down to the three (a wait-and-see situation), he continues to start at power forward. Behind him are Yabusele and Miller. Yabusele provides ample size at 6-foot-7 and 265 pounds, while Miller is a long athlete at 6-foot-10, 220 pounds.
Lastly, we’ve kept Jalen Smith as the starting center, even though he could slide down to the four—a position he’s played recently. Backing up Smith, who will start regardless, are the injured Zach Collins (who could very well be placed on injured reserve alongside Noa Essengue) and the recently acquired Nick Richards. If Collins were available, Donovan would likely start both Smith and him at the four and five.
With so much roster movement, the Bulls’ depth chart is far from set in stone. Injuries, lineup experiments, and trade acquisitions will shape who sees the floor.