Bulls' future direction will be decided by this date on the 2024-25 schedule
This has been a will they/won’t they offseason for the Chicago Bulls.
Will they finally tear down the roster and start an earnest rebuild as fans have long wanted or will they continue to chase the back end of the playoffs?
The biggest obstacle to finally choosing a direction and getting out of the purgatory they are currently in is Zach LaVine, whose contract and injury history have made him impossible to trade. The Bulls are once again stuck midway between two paths.
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The decision of which direction to take may be made for the Bulls if you take a look at the 2024-25 schedule.
Chicago Bulls schedule: Christmas is the magical date
If the Bulls exceed expectations, there is a world in which they are cruising along, in the playoff hunt and actually add talent at the trade deadline to make a real run at the playoffs, something they haven’t done in in previous seasons.
It’s far more likely that the Bulls are bad, and a tough early schedule could force their hand when it comes to roster decisions.
The Bulls have 28 games before Christmas, 20 of which are against teams that figure to be in the playoff hunt next season in their respective conferences, with three each against the Celtics and Bucks.
Conservatively, I have the Bulls at 9-19 before Christmas, giving them all the games in which they will be favorites and going against them when they are not. They will win or lose some unexpected games, but it’s a fair guess.
If the Bulls are 10 games under .500 by Christmas they will have no choice but to sell off as many parts as possible, including Zach LaVine and possibly even Coby White.
This would allow them to finally lean into a rebuild and all but guarantee they will keep their pick in the loaded 2025 draft class to add more elite talent to their young core.
Of course, we’ve thought that before and the Bulls front office could just as easily use a tough early schedule as an excuse and argument to keep the team together.
Eventually, the Bulls will have to choose a direction and we may know it before Christmas rolls around next year.
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