The theme of the Chicago Bulls’ offseason so far has been confusion.
They traded away DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso, indicating a youth movement was on the way, but held onto Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, which will put an immediate rebuild in jeopardy.
The Bulls have been the symbol of NBA mediocrity in recent years, not good enough to be a real threat in the Eastern Conference, but not bad enough to cash in on high odds for a top draft pick.
The Bulls are now content to go into the season with LaVine on the roster according to several sources, much to the delight of the San Antonio Spurs who are counting on the Bulls to continue their streak of mediocrity.
Chicago Bulls draft picks: The Spurs can cash in on confusion
One team that will be cheering for the Bulls next season is the San Antonio Spurs, who own Chicago’s pick if it falls in the 11-30 range.
The Spurs are putting on a masterclass in how to build a team, as they tanked at the right time, got a generational talent to build around and still have a load of future picks to use to add more talent in the draft or trades.
It must be nice.
The Spurs not only have their own pick in 2025, but have one coming from Atlanta, as well as a protected (15-30) pick from Charlotte and the top-10 protected pick from the Bulls.
Depending on their own improvement, the Spurs could have three lottery picks in a loaded 2025 draft to try and add elite talent around Victor Wembanyama.
If the Bulls carry this tepid roster into the season, there is a good chance they will win just enough games to stay out of the top-10, a worst-case scenario for a team allegedly trying to rebuild.
The Bulls are stuck with a Zach LaVine problem, as they need to play him to build some kind of trade value, but if they do, they risk winning too many games to keep their pick and an ending like last season where both the playoffs and a top-10 pick are out of reach.
Spurs’ sites are already celebrating the Bulls’ confusion, which could lead to them building the best young team in the NBA while Chicago is still stuck in no-man's land.