Ranking Bulls' Top Trade Priorities Entering 2024
The Chicago Bulls should have some busy weeks ahead of them.
They arguably need to be as active as anyone between now and the Feb. 8 NBA deadline, and that's true regardless of whether they blow up this roster the way many think they should. If they're going to push forward with this core (presumably minus Zach LaVine), then they need to upgrade the roster around it.
Let's plot out the 2024 trade priorities for this franchise, then.
1. Brighten the Future
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The Bulls have seemingly learned two things this season: Zach LaVine isn't a keeper, but Coby White sure is.
On the LaVine front, offloading the high-scoring, high-priced, oft-injured guard has become "the main organizational focal point for now," per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
Because of LaVine's massive contract and lengthy injury history, his trade value won't measure up to his stature as a two-time All-Star who routinely puts gaudy numbers on the stat sheet. Win-now teams with offensive limitations (cough, the Los Angeles Lakers) could still see him as a worthy investment, though, and should at least be willing to sacrifice a decent asset or two.
Whatever Chicago brings back, the package should be future-focused, at least to some degree. The Bulls have a legitimate long-term building block in White, and they hope to have another in Patrick Williams, but that's all their future holds. That simply can't be the case any longer for a club that's fighting just to stay in the Play-In Tournament race.
2. Add a Ball-Mover
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The Bulls have plenty of mouths to feed on this roster, but they've been without an expert table-setter ever since Lonzo Ball was lost to a knee injury in Jan. 2022.
While White has played his way into the Most Improved Player race, he's more of a scorer than a ball-mover. Alex Caruso and Ayo Dosunmu do a lot of things well, but primary playmaking isn't one of them.
If the hope was newcomer Jevon Carter's passing would pop in a more sizable role, well, none of that has materialized. In fact, he's finding minutes even harder to come by than they were with the Milwaukee Bucks last season. He also isn't helping his case with a ghastly 37.7 field-goal percentage.
The Bulls are just 27th in assist percentage, per NBA.com, and it's not because they're a turbo-charged isolation offense (25th percentile). They just don't have a high-end quarterback. If they want to give this group its best chance for success, they need to find the kind of floor general who can tie everything together.
3. Improve the Spacing
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You may have heard this a time or 20, but the Bulls are not a good shooting team. Like, at all.
They have bottom-third connection rates from the field (45.5 percent, 27th) and from three (36.4, 17th). They are middle of the pack in free-throw shooting (79.5, 14th). Oh, and they don't take many attempts from deep (33 per game, 18th) or get to the line very often (20.9, 25th).
This offense, ranked just 22nd in efficiency, needs more breathing room. The lack of proper spacing doesn't give DeMar DeRozan ideal room on his drives, and any post-up plays for Nikola Vučević can be uncomfortably cramped.
Adding a quantity-plus-quality shooter to the mix could be a subtle, but significant way to upgrade this squad.
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