How About That Trade Deadline? And Other Bulls Bullets

Say it with me y’all: VOOOOOOOCCCCHHHHHH!!!!

•   I still can’t exactly wrap my head around what we saw from the Chicago Bulls yesterday. Instead of staying the course or tearing it down, the Bulls took a massive leap forward. The organization went out of their way to grab a second All-Star, one that ranks 3rd among centers in points per game, sits 5th in rebounds per game among all players, and shoots over 40 percent from behind the arc. Nikola Vucevic is hands-down one of the best big men in the NBA, and he now wears red and white. I mean, holy sh*t.

•   We’re just not used to seeing this bold approach from the Bulls … but maybe we should be. Maybe that was the problem. Arturas Karnisovas spoke with reporters last night, and he made one thing clear about this franchise under his watch: The Bulls are serious about winning. No, I don’t think that necessarily means the Bulls have entered full-blow win-now mode. The organization has to know they’re still a couple of pieces away. However, I think that philosophy finally gives us the sense of direction we’ve wanted to see from this new front office. The goal is still to retool, develop young players, and gradually grow, but staying relevant and competitive is not going to be completely sacrificed to make that happen. I’m here for it.

•   Also, this move finally showed the city of Chicago that the Bulls organization is going to act like the major-market team they happen to be (the Bulls also hinted at this when they snagged Billy Donovan). The longer, more-patient approach we expected to see from Karnisovas might have been too largely based on his past GM experience, which took place with the smaller-market Denver Nuggets. The Bulls are the 4th-most valuable franchise in the NBA. The Nuggets are the 19th most valuable franchise in the NBA. I don’t make the rules, but there should be more paths to consistently competitive basketball in Chicago, and Karnisovas appears ready to explore all those paths.

•   I’ve seen a handful of people comment that this was a steep price to pay for Chicago. I’m not about to say they swindled the Magic out of Vucevic, but I’d honestly give this trade an A grade for both parties. For reference, the Bulls gave up Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter, and two first-round picks for Vucevic and Al-Farouq Aminu. Carter is still just 21-years-old and has a genuinely intriguing upside, but he is a player who has only regressed this season, and he is also someone that feels more than fair to give up in the pursuit of an All-Star.

•   The real significant part of this trade is obviously the draft compensation. Yes, it’s always pretty risky to give up two first-rounders, especially when you are still not an established contender. However, the Bulls front office did a great job avoiding the worst-case-scenario. The pick in the 2021 draft and 2023 draft are both reported to be top-4 protected, which means the team still has a chance to grab a potential franchise-changing player if everything turns to crap. The flip side of that is what the front office hopes happens, which is they fight their way into the playoffs over the next several seasons and those picks turn out to be outside the lottery (preferably in the 18-30 range). Again, in my opinion, that is a completely justifiable price to pay for a 2x All-Star.

•   Here is the upcoming schedule: Spurs, Warriors, Suns, Jazz, Nets, and Pacers. That stretch looked like a death sentence prior to the deadline. How about now? Tough, but not impossible. The thing I’d encourage folks to keep in mind over the first couple of games, though, is that this is basically a new team. The Bulls added five new players – all of whom are deserving of playing time. All should fit decently well into Donovan’s style of play too, but chemistry is still an under-appreciated part of the game. This team has 29 games to build that and battle for a playoff seed. This is where Donovan’s experienced coaching has to show up big yet again.

•   By the way, no one should be happier than Zach LaVine right now, right? I’d say these moves show a clear dedication to LaVine moving forward. Entering his prime at 26-years-old, the organization wants to keep him in a Bulls uniform and take full advantage of his elite skill set. Tony Gill knows what’s up:

•   Aw, they all love each other already! Patrick Williams handed his number to the big man.

•   Weird fact.

•   My friends are super excited and talked about it on a podcast, check it out!

https://twitter.com/TalkinToros/status/1375451863454208000?s=20

•   I also hopped on ESPN 93.5 to break down the trade deadline shenanigans, so feel free to hear me say words if you’re bored of reading them.

written by

Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.

more bulls news

What Would be the Best Draw for the Chicago Bulls in the Play-In Tournament?

Nine games stand between the Chicago Bulls and the Play-In Tournament. I know ... yippie! Practically locked into the No. 9 seed, this puts them in line to host the No. 10 seed at the United Center in Round 1....

Best Defense of the Season, Playing Big, Javonte Green’s Instant Impact, and Other Bulls Bullets

Lose to the 14-win Wizards one game and hold the Pacers' elite offense to their worst performance of the season the next. Your 2023-24 Chicago Bulls, everyone! As I said in last night's Enhanced Box Score, I'm now even more...

WOW: Minnesota Timberwolves Sale to Alex Rodriguez Falls Through

The Minnesota Timberwolves dropped a bomb on Thursday morning. According to a statement released by the Timberwolves and Lynx ownership group, the franchise is no longer for sale. A transition of power was thought to be in place over the...

Enhanced Box Score: Bulls 125, Pacers 99 – March 27, 2024

I got to be honest, I'm even more upset about the Washington Wizards' loss. If the Chicago Bulls played like they did tonight, they would have beaten that depleted Wizards team by 40. This was a locked-in group from the...

Javonte Green Makes Bulls Return… Immediately Does Awesome Stuff

Javonte Green has officially made his Chicago Bulls debut ... again. The 30-year-old signed with the organization via a 10-day hardship deal on March 22. Injuries to Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams, and Julian Phillips paved the way for...

WATCH: Alex Caruso Snatches Rookie Ben Sheppard’s Ankles

Alex Caruso will always be known for his defense capabilities, but he's showing a lot more than that this season. The veteran guard is averaging double-digit points for the first time in his career. A big part of that has...

Draymond Green Ejected Less Than 4 Minutes Into Game Against Orlando

Draymond Green was at it again on Wednesday night. Out East to take on the Orlando Magic, the Golden State Warriors watched Paolo Banchero bulldoze Andrew Wiggins to the rim early in the first quarter. As Banchero high-fived his teammates...

Pre-Gamin’: Indiana Pacers at Chicago Bulls (7:00 CT), Projected Lineups, How to Watch, More

Everything was awful on Tuesday. Be Better. https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1772971933161705610?s=20 Game Info Indiana Pacers (41-32) at Chicago Bulls (34-38) – 7:00 p.m. CT on NBC Sports Chicago (TV) and 670 The Score (Radio) Projected Starting Lineups Chicago Bulls Coby White Alex Caruso Ayo Dosunmu...

Around the Association: Caitlin Clark Gets Big(3) Offer, Knicks Getting Help, Lakers OT Thriller, More

It's hard to believe we have less than three weeks remaining in the NBA's regular season, and we should be in for some real drama down the stretch. The Knicks have plenty to play for in their remaining 11 games...

WHOA: NCAA Looking to Ban Prop Betting on All College Athletes

As the NCAA men's basketball tournament gears up for the Sweet Sixteen, the college sports world received some big news. On Wednesday morning, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that NCAA president Charlie Baker wants to officially ban prop betting on college...

Latest News

Braves vs. Phillies Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Atlanta Braves start their season as road favorites (-125) in a matchup with the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday at 3:05 PM ET, live on BSSO from Citizens Bank Park.Spencer Strider will get the ball for Atlanta while Philadelphia will...

Washington State vs. Illinois Women’s Basketball: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

Two hot teams meet when the Washington State Cougars (21-14) host the Illinois Fighting Illini (17-15) on April 1, 2024. The Cougars will put their three-game win streak on the line against the Fighting Illini, who have won three straight.On...

Villanova vs. Penn State Women’s Basketball: Free Live Stream, TV Channel, How to Watch

The Villanova Wildcats (21-12) will try to extend a three-game winning streak when they host the Penn State Lady Lions (22-12) on April 1, 2024. The Lady Lions have also won three games in a row.In its previous game, Villanova...

Brewers vs. Mets Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Milwaukee Brewers open their season as -110 favorites in a road matchup with the New York Mets on Friday at 1:40 PM ET, live on SNY.Freddy Peralta gets the starting nod for Milwaukee while Jose Quintana is New York's...

Braves vs. Phillies Probable Starting Pitchers – March 29

The Philadelphia Phillies (0-0) host the Atlanta Braves (0-0) in an Opening Day contest at 3:05 PM ET on Friday.The Braves will call on Spencer Strider against the Phillies and Zack Wheeler.Braves vs. Phillies Pitcher Matchup and Game InfoWhen: Friday,...

Suns vs. Thunder Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder (50-22) are 2.5-point underdogs against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns (43-30) Friday, March 29, 2024 at Paycom Center. The game starts at 8:00 PM ET on KSBI. The matchup's point total is...

Brewers vs. Mets Probable Starting Pitchers – March 29

The Milwaukee Brewers (0-0) and the New York Mets (0-0) face off on Friday at Citi Field for Opening Day. First pitch is at 1:40 PM ET.The Brewers will look to Freddy Peralta versus the Mets and Jose Quintana.Brewers vs....

Cavaliers vs. 76ers Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Philadelphia 76ers (39-34) are 8-point underdogs against the Cleveland Cavaliers (44-29) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Friday, March 29, 2024. The game starts at 7:30 PM ET on NBCS. The matchup's point total is set at 212.5.Our computer predictions...

Heat vs. Trail Blazers Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Portland Trail Blazers (19-54) will attempt to end an eight-game losing streak when they visit the Miami Heat (39-33) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at FTX Arena as heavy, 14-point underdogs. The contest airs at 8:00 PM ET on...

Rockets vs. Jazz Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Utah Jazz (29-44) will try to end a seven-game losing streak when they host the Houston Rockets (37-35) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at Vivint Smart Home Arena as 7.5-point underdogs. The contest airs at 9:30 PM ET on...

more bulls news