Bulls overhaul roster, eye long-term championship goals

Jun 3, 2025 2:55 PM

Since 2016, the Chicago Bulls have managed just one winning season – in 2021/22 – but that success was mostly due to a strong start.

The team surged early, winning 27 of their first 38 games with Lonzo Ball excelling as a dynamic two-way point guard, supported by scorers Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic, and defensive standout Alex Caruso.

Chicago’s management spent years hoping to recreate that team’s chemistry, but Ball was sidelined by knee injuries, missing much of the following seasons.

When he returned in fall 2024, the Bulls had already shifted direction, trading veterans like DeRozan and Caruso and acquiring young talent like Josh Giddey as their new point guard of the future.

Before the 2024 trade deadline, the Bulls made it clear they were rebuilding by trading LaVine and reclaiming their 2025 first-round pick, adding veterans like Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter, and Zach Collins, who seemed set to lead a tanking effort.

Instead, the team unexpectedly surged late in the season, going 15-5 and securing a play-in spot for the third straight year. That outcome frustrated some fans, who had hoped for a full rebuild and a high draft pick.

Instead, the Bulls finished 39-43, exited the playoffs quickly, and ended with a pick outside the lottery.

But the late-season rally revealed promise: Coby White became a top scorer, Josh Giddey nearly averaged a triple-double, and rookie Matas Buzelis made the All-Rookie Second Team.

While the Bulls remain a middle-of-the-pack team, the recent willingness to overhaul the roster signals a shift toward building for the future rather than clinging to a flawed contender.

There’s still plenty to fix, but the organization appears focused on constructing a true contender down the line.