The Chicago Bulls have more than a handful of winnable games from now until the end of January, including two contests against the Washington Wizards (4-23), two against the Charlotte Hornets (7-22) and one against the Toronto Raptors (7-23).
They also play four of the bottom five teams in the Western Conference standings.
With wins over some of the NBA's worst teams, Chicago can move toward a top-6 spot in the East.
On the flip side, the Bulls seem to finally have a chance at trading veterans Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, something the organization has been trying to accomplish for more than a year.
Lonzo Ball, Torrey Craig and Jevon Carter are also available to needy contenders.
Which way do Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley decide to go, and who will be Billy Donovan's top offensive option in the second half of the season?
Zach LaVine will be the Bulls leading scorer post-trade deadline
Until Chicago's front office actually pulls the trigger on any kind of mega-trade, it's more than fair to assume it won't.
There's a reason the Bulls extended Vucevic and Patrick Williams and traded Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey—a long history of poor decision-making.
Apparently, the holdup in any trade that would send LaVine to the Denver Nuggets is Zeke Nnaji's four-year, $36 million contract the Bulls don't want to take back.
There are some things worth haggling over, and a $9 million per year deal for a 23-year-old big man isn't one of them in this situation.
LaVine's resurgent year will likely continue in Chicago; it would be a relative shock if a blockbuster trade went down.
Other options to lead the Bulls in scoring after the trade deadline
Nikola Vucevic
If the Bulls do pull off a LaVine deal, it would leave Vucevic as Chicago's leading scorer, at least as it stands on Dec. 26.
The team is far more likely to trade Vucevic than LaVine. If LaVine does move on, there's a solid chance Vooch will, too.
Coby White
White is averaging 17.5 points through 28 games this season. He's third on the team in scoring.
He's also shooting 41.4 percent from the field and just 35.8 percent from three—the lowest marks since his rookie year.
But if LaVine goes and Vucevic follows, White is not only the Bulls' most talented scorer, he's also their most proven.
With only one year left on a team-friendly deal after this season, Chicago needs to determine whether White can reach another level or if he's simply a starting-caliber combo guard who doesn't deserve a massive new contract.