The Chicago Bulls went 15-5 in their final 20 games of the 2024-25 season and 17-10 after the All-Star break. Josh Giddey nearly averaged a triple-double during those final 20 games and had by far the best offensive season of his career.
Coby White made a similar leap, averaging 26.1 points over that same end-of-season stretch, 12th-most in the league. He earned Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors for March after pouring in 27.7 ppg in 15 games.
Chicago's much-maligned front office must now make some necessary roster moves as soon as possible if the franchise wants to sustain its late-season momentum and rise above being a yearly Play-In participant.
But Bulls fans won't be holding their collective breath, especially given Executive VP of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas's plea for more patience. In his defense, Karnisovas did deliver on the expectations he set for the team before the season: Play faster, shoot more threes, keep the team's first-round pick and collect young players with experience to hasten the rebuild.
That last bit of strategy is debatable, but Karnisovas apparently has plans to keep pushing, saying in part during his end-of-season press conference, "...we have to keep on building on this group by adding another player in the lottery, going to free agency and adding another piece."
If that's the direction the franchise is going to go this summer, here are three items that should top Karnisovas's wish list.
3 moves the Bulls should make as soon as possible this offseason
For reference, the 2025 draft lottery is scheduled for May 12, the draft itself will take place on June 25 and 26, teams can start making trades once their seasons end, the "legal tampering period" for free agency begins on June 30 and free agents can begin signing on July 6.
Move 1: Hope for an NBA Draft miracle (or create one)
The Atlanta Hawks finished 10th in the lottery standings heading into last year's draft. They had a 3.7 percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick.
The basketball gods smiled upon them, though, and miraculously handed them the first overall pick, which the Hawks used to take French wing Zaccharie Risacher. Chicago could sure use a similar miracle this year, especially with Cooper Flagg sitting atop every draft board.
Depending on a tiebreaker, the Bulls will have either a 1.7 or 1.9 percent chance at the No. 1 pick. Their chances of landing in the top four are 2.4 percent; even that would be a significant win.
Or Chicago could do what well-run franchises do best (something it actually accomplished last summer with Matas Buzelis) and find a late-lottery gem with the potential to become a major part of the team's future.
Move 2: Unload veteran contracts
The next step in Karnisovas's ideal offseason would come via the trade market.
Nikola Vucevic, Zach Collins and Kevin Huerter combine to form around $60 million worth of expiring contracts. Vucevic has already hinted that he's ready to move on. Huerter played well for Chicago at the end of the regular season, and Collins is a solid backup big, albeit an expensive one. All three should hold some value.
Creating that cap space, especially with a Giddey extension on the docket—and one for White next summer—by trading that trio now rather than letting them walk at the end of next season would be smart roster construction, even if it only nets Chicago a handful of second-round picks. Something is better than nothing.
Move 3: Be patient with the Giddey extension
Speaking of the Bulls' floor general, Karnisovas and Co. need to play Giddey's restricted free agency wisely. That was not the case last summer, when they didn't bother to test the market; instead, they locked up Patrick Williams to a five-year, $90 million deal that will grossly sit on their cap sheet for the foreseeable future.
As of April 21, the Brooklyn Nets are the only team with enough cap space to make a legitimate run at Giddey. Could they be interested in offering a long-term contract to the 22-year-old? Possibly. If Brooklyn isn't a Giddey suitor, however, the Aussie's market could dry up quickly. That would mean Chicago has a chance at keeping him in The Windy City without having to shell out more than $30 million a year.
How the Bulls manage this summer saga will have a significant impact on the tools available to supplement the roster with high-level role players or even a consequential free agent (although that would take another borderline miracle).