Bulls Exec Talks Roster Strategy After 7 Trades At of NBA Deadline, 'Play-In Is Not the Goal'

The Chicago Bulls got busy ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline, making seven deals total.

Bulls executive Artūras Karnišovas explained the rationale behind all the trades, saying Chicago is looking to focus on a long-term goal of winning a title rather than continuously being a play-in team.

"Play-in is not the goal. Championship is," he told reporters. "We have made a meaningful shift in terms of roster building."

Karnišovas was asked if he felt the Bulls should have made moves sooner.

"I do not. Right now is good timing," he said.

Since Billy Donovan took over as head coach during the 2020-21 season, the Bulls haven't been a bad team, but they haven't been a good team either. They made the playoffs in 2021-22 before facing play-in tournament exits in the last three years.

Chicago is sitting in 10th place in the East at 24-27, once again far from being a contender.

Karnišovas, who has been around for the years of mediocrity, decided to host a fire sale at this year's deadline rather than another play-in finish. The Bulls traded away Dalen Terry, Ousmane Dieng, Nikola Vučević, Coby White, Kevin Huerter and Ayo Dosunmu before the deadline on Thursday.

White, Vučević and Dosunmu are three of Chicago's top-five scorers this year.

While Chicago fans are likely happy to see the front office fully commit to long-term goals rather than settling for average, it's fair to wonder why the Bulls took so long to do so.

For years, the Bulls became synonymous with inactivity at the trade deadline. No matter where they were in the standings, they weren't interested in making a trade. Staying stagnant likely set them back a few years.

Nonetheless, Chicago appears ready to commit to the future, just don't call it a rebuild.

"I'm still saying away from that word," Karnišovas told reporters. "We're in a stage."