The offseason is officially upon us. 14 teams are battling it out in hopes of raising the Larry O'Brien Trophy in June, while the remaining 16 are prepping for the next marathon that is the regular season. The Chicago Bulls fall into the latter category after losing to the Miami Heat in the Play-In Tournament.
The Bulls' offseason agenda begins with the NBA Draft, where Chicago has an 8.0 percent chance of landing a top-four selection. While selecting even in the top 10 is a bit far-fetched, the Bulls' likeliest landing spot of 12 is promising. The 2025 NBA Draft Class is deep. Thus, Chicago might be able to find another Matas Buzelis in the late lottery.
The Bulls' offseason agenda is quite simple
Following the draft, the Bulls will have one of the more difficult free agency decisions. Josh Giddey, acquired in a trade for Alex Caruso last June, is an impending restricted free agent. After a slow start to his inaugural campaign in the Windy City, Giddey turned it around post-trade deadline. The 22-year-old guard averaged 19.8 points in February, 20.3 in March, and 20.8 in April. Post-All-Star, Giddey averaged 10.7 rebounds and 9.3 assists per contest. Although there remain concerns, especially about his defense, Giddey is worth the projected $150 million.
Now that the two top priorities are out of the way, Chicago will have some more intricate decisions to make. Will Vice President of Basketball Operations Artūras Karnišovas revisit trade talks surrounding midseason additions Kevin Huerter and Zach Collins? Will 34-year-old Nikola Vucevic finally be moved? And, where does Patrick Williams fall into Chicago's long-term plans?
All aforementioned questions will be answered soon. We likely only know the answer to one, and unfortunately, it's the last. Williams and his remaining $72 million are here to stay—no matter how much effort the Bulls' Front Office puts into finding a landing spot for the overpriced forward. Moreover, who's to even say Karnišovas would want to trade his first draft pick of his Chicago tenure?
The Williams debacle is beside the point. Nothing can be done anytime soon regarding Williams, but what can be done is revamping Chicago's porous frontcourt. The Bulls relied heavily upon a 34-year-old Vucevic. While Vooch enhanced the Bulls' pace and space offense with his three-point shotmaking and impressive passing chops, he was a hindrance to Chicago's defensive efforts. The Bulls were 3.7 points per 100 possessions worse defensively with Vucevic on the floor.
Adding another offensive-minded big to a lineup that includes Giddey and Coby White would be poor judgment. As evidenced by the Heat's dismantling of the Bulls' interior defense, adding a defensive anchor should, bar none, be Chicago's top priority.
There's no reason for the Bulls to target Domantas Sabonis
That leads us to rumors of an extremely ill-advised Chicago trade target. For some odd reason, the Bulls have been linked to Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis. Whether it's because of Chicago's propensity to trade with Sacramento or the need for a starting pivot, we don't know. Sabonis is a great player, but he doesn't fit on a team that seriously lacks rim protection.
In an episode of The Zach Lowe Show, Zach Lowe made sure to comment on the rumors. As he began to discuss the recently exiled Play-In teams, Lowe adamantly remarked, "The first Domantas Sabonis to Chicago rumor I hear this summer… I'm calling the [NBA] Front Office and I'm saying… 'you got to stop these two teams from talking to each other.'"
Lowe's conjecture fits rational thinking. The Bulls allowed the most points in the paint per game, ranked 18th in blocks per game, and allowed opponents to shoot 64.6 percent from within six feet—the 23rd-worst mark in the association.
Sabonis is a phenomenal rebounder, post-passer, and scorer. Nevertheless, that's not what Chicago should be looking to improve. The Bulls ranked in the top five in assists and rebounds per game. Defense must be the Bulls' top priority. Adding a shot-blocking backline defender to make up for the backcourt's defensive shortcomings is crucial for immediate success.