It’s not easy to get excited about the Chicago Bulls right now.
Their current roster would need a miracle or two to be truly competitive, but they’re not bad enough to even offer the hope of a top draft pick.
It’s a tough spot to be in off another losing season whose goal was a shot in the play-in tournament. Chicago has few ways to improve in the short term and no visible long-term plan either, which is how the Bulls found themselves at the bottom of a dubious list.
CBS Sports recently ranked all 30 head coaching jobs in the NBA and the Bulls came dead last as the least desirable spot for an NBA head coach. The article called Chicago both “cheap” and “poorly managed” in their assessment. Yikes.
Given the market size, fanbase and assets at their disposal, this is an embarrassing place for the Bulls to be, but it’s fair when you look at their situation.
The Bulls are full of sunk costs
The roster is littered with players the Bulls have invested in heavily with little return and an even smaller chance to get one.
They waited too long to trade DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso and now risk losing both for nothing. Otherwise, they’ll have to overpay to keep a 34-year-old or take pennies on the dollar in a sign and trade. Same for Caruso, who is now an expiring contract who will have less value in a trade.
The Bulls have to choose to sign a risky long-term deal with restricted free agent Patrick Williams or risk losing him for nothing or taking a potentially disastrous trade similar to the one they made with Lauri Markkanen. Another team could just swoop in and make an offer the Bulls won’t match (OKC, Detroit), in which case they lose a former 4th pick for nothing.
Nikola Vucevic was bad enough to hurt the team last season after the Bulls gave up precious draft capital to get him (could have had Franz Wagner instead) and still has two more years left on a bloated contract that no one wants.
Chicago has invested the equivalent of a small European country’s economy into Zach LaVine, who still has three years left on his deal that no one wants, including the Bulls. Rumors are they may have to give up assets just to get off that deal.
If they keep all of these guys and they stay healthy, who knows, they may be able to eek their way into the playoffs, but it’s more likely they’ll be right back in the same place.
Would any coach really want to jump into this cycle?
The Chicago Bulls have little young talent
It’s not just that the Bulls are bad, they are bad with aging players who aren’t getting any better.
There’s little young talent to get excited about outside of Coby White, who is a nice player but not one you are going to build a team around.
Guards who can score aren’t that rare and the Bulls lack the kind of young two-way wings and skilled bigs teams are currently building around.
White is 24 years old and on his current deal, is one of the best bargains in the NBA. But what about the next one? How much better is Coby White going to get? Is he worth a max deal?
White can be a piece of the puzzle, but their long-term talent pipeline past this group of veterans is otherwise grim. It doesn’t look like the type of job where you could build something long term.
The Bulls have a cheap owner and incompetent front office
I don’t think it is out of line to say that Jerry Reinsdorf is cheap, and the entire city of Chicago is nodding its head in agreement. He’s known for it.
The Bulls have never made the kinds of bold trades other large-market teams make. They don’t go into the luxury tax. They are never mentioned as a possibility for the top free agents. And this is after regularly leading the league in attendance.
Even if Reinsdorf would allow Arturas Karnisovas to spend, would you really trust him to do it? His trade record is abysmal and is what has led to this current mess.
The product on the floor is not a reflection of the cost it took to get it, leaving the Bulls with zero financial flexibility without tearing down a mediocre roster that they won’t spend money to improve.
Until something changes, it’s fair to call Chicago the league’s worst situation.