Chicago Bulls front office slammed in anonymous survey

There isn’t much consensus around the Chicago Bulls these days. Are they tanking? Are they trying to win? Stuck in the familiar spot in between? 

The only agreement you’ll find is that the front office botched their asset management over the last several seasons, waiting too long to make trades and leaving their roster in the limbo it’s been in for years. 

A recent survey of 18 NBA coaches, scouts and executives on ESPN threw more punches at the Bulls front office, which was at the top or near the top of two dubious categories. 

The NBA’s worst offseason 

The Chicago Bulls finished second in this category with five votes, only trailing the Denver Nuggets, who lost a key player and did little to replace him. 

The Nuggets are being penalized for not trying to maximize an all-time great player’s championship window, but it’s fair to argue that the Bulls were even worse this offseason. 

Here’s how ESPN justified Chicago’s spot on the list: 

“Chicago, after trading both Caruso and DeMar DeRozan and not getting a first-round pick in either deal (and watching the San Antonio Spurs get the best asset, a 2031 pick swap from the Kings, in the DeRozan deal)...” 

ESPN wasn’t even as critical of the Alex Caruso deal as myself and others have been, calling Josh Giddey a “foundational” piece, but he’ll have to prove that and is on an expiring deal, so the jury is still out. 

Worst move of the NBA offseason 

The Bulls took the top spot for worst move of the offseason, which was their role in the DeMar DeRozan sign-and-trade that landed him in Sacramento. 

The Bulls had the best asset in the deal, but somehow ended up getting the worst return, largely because they waited too long and had no leverage, as DeRozan could have just left as a free agent. 

You could argue the Caruso trade was nearly as bad. Yes, the Bulls did get Giddey, a good player who might blossom into more, but they should have been able to at least get a pick out of OKC, who has more of them than they can possibly use. 

A second rounder? A pick swap? Something else had to be attached after the Bulls passed up multiple first-round picks at the deadline. 

At least there is something we can all agree on, which is that the Bulls have been poor at maximizing their assets and have had an offseason we’d all rather forget.