The Chicago Bulls‘ season came to an abrupt end on Wednesday, April 16. Billy Donovan’s team fell to the Miami Heat in a play-in game for the third consecutive season.
The Bulls’ offseason is now underway. Over the past 18 months, Chicago has made moves to enter a rebuilding process. They have traded away DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso and Zach LaVine. The younger, new-look version of the Bulls finished the regular season with a 15-5 record.
When speaking to the media on April 17, Vice President of Basketball Operations Artura Karnisovas called for patience from the fanbase.
“I’m asking for the fans to have patience,” Karnisovas said. “We’re in the first year of that transition. I though that the way we finished the year shows some promise. It’s hard to win games in this league. But to finish 15-5, it’s not a victory lap, but I think there are some positives. I think we gotta keep on building this group by adding another player in the lottery. Going into free agency and adding another piece. And, obviously, going into the summer, that’s when the players get better.”
The Bulls come into the summer with plenty of work to do. First and foremost, they must re-sign Josh Giddey. He has proven himself to be the team’s guard of the future. Of course, they must also find a way to add more talent and depth to the current rotation.
Bulls Are On The Right Path
During the same news conference, Karnisovas gave some insight into how the Bulls will approach the coming offseason.
“We are not where we want to be,” Karnisovas said. “We will look at every opportunity to improve this roster. I think we took the right steps with this group, and I think we’re on the right path. Again, the small wins this season with the improvement of our plays and playing meaningful games. Teaching them what goes into winning…Now we are going to focus on our offseason.”
Chicago has previously tried the approach of building a contending roster via trade. And while injuries derailed their chances of success, it’s clear there’s a different mindset this time. The Bulls are building by developing young talent and making smart acquisitions that fit their desired play style.
Nikola Vucevic Wants to Stay With Bulls
Nikola Vucevic will be entering the final year of his contract next season. The veteran big man was one of the Bulls’ most consistent players throughout the 2024-25 campaign. Chicago could look to keep Vucevic on the roster due to the veteran leadership he provides. However, that would mean losing him for nothing next summer.
During a recent interview with Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Vucevic admitted he would like to stay with the Bulls.
“One player who’s suddenly buying in — and would like to stay another season and finish out his contract — is Vucevic,” Cowley wrote. “That’s a bit surprising, especially after good friend DeMar DeRozan was traded to the Kings and Alex Caruso to the Thunder last summer, followed by the LaVine trade. All signs had pointed to Vucevic being traded by the Feb. 6 deadline, and when he wasn’t, there were concerns he’d check out.”
It will be interesting to see what direction Chicago decides to take with Vucevic. There’s no doubt that he produces at a high level on the court. However, losing one of the team’s most valuable assets for nothing is also something the fanbase would probably prefer to avoid.
Karnisovas has some tough decisions to make in the coming months, and Vucevic is clearly one of them.
