Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls may finally be heading toward a rebuild.

After losing in either the first round of the playoffs or the play-in tournament in each of the last three seasons while mired in constant mediocrity, they underwent drastic roster changes this offseason by sending DeMar DeRozan to the Sacramento Kings in a sign-and-trade and Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a separate deal.

It won't be a full rebuild with players such as Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević still on the roster, but there seems to be more of a focus on the future over battling for the bottom playoff seeds than there was in the recent past.

Here is a look at the schedule the Bulls will face early in that rebuilding process.

---

2024-25 Bulls Schedule Details

Season Opener: at New Orleans Pelicans, Oct. 23, 8 p.m. ET

Championship Odds: +100000 (bet $100 to win $100,000), per FanDuel

Full Schedule: The full schedule is available on NBA.com.

---

Top Matchups

Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks have also dealt with plenty of consistent mediocrity since their surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021.

They lost in the first round in each of the next two seasons and then lost to the Bulls in the play-in tournament last season. Like Chicago, they underwent some significant roster moves this offseason by trading Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Also like Chicago, Atlanta has pieces on the roster that could prevent a full rebuild. The most notable of those pieces is Trae Young, and it wouldn't be completely shocking if the two teams were battling for position in the play-in tournament yet again as a result.

While that may not be in the best interest for the Bulls' long-term viability, games with playoff implications against a guard like Young would be a welcome test for Chicago's young backcourt of Coby White, Josh Giddey and Ayo Dosunmu.

After all, it was just last season when White dropped 42 points in a play-in tournament win over the Hawks.

And winning these head-to-head games against Atlanta would go a long way toward perhaps clinching one of those play-in tournament spots at the end of the season.

It's not the championships of the past this franchise used to fight for with Michael Jordan leading the way, but there figure to be at least some stakes in this contest.

---

Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are surely more focused on the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks after reaching last season's Eastern Conference Finals, but the Bulls could view them as something of a measuring stick and formula to follow as they embark on their own rebuild.

Indiana lost in the first round in five consecutive years from 2016 to 2020 before missing the postseason entirely the following three seasons.

Yet the present and future is now much brighter thanks in large part to Tyrese Haliburton leading the way. The 24-year-old guard helped propel a young and talented Indiana team on a deep postseason run in 2023-24 and will look to do the same in 2024-25.

Chicago's version of Haliburton to lift it out of the cloud of mediocrity that has recently followed the franchise may still be out there, but the Pacers provide some form of regional hope for a team that has struggled of late.

And winning these games would provide some confidence to young players such as White, Giddey and Patrick Williams as they attempt to become key pieces in the next core that will make the Bulls a legitimate contender.

For now, though, they are still looking up at the Pacers and others in the Eastern Conference.

---

Season Forecast

Through a certain lens, one might see a potential playoff team in Chicago if a number of things break in the correct direction.

Perhaps a healthy LaVine takes the next step as an elite scorer. Perhaps Vučević will turn in his best season in the Windy City as a double-double force. Perhaps Lonzo Ball will return to the floor for the first time since January 2022 after knee injuries derailed his time with the Bulls and provide a spark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzaXYSswyAc

And perhaps the youth in White, Giddey and Williams will all firmly live up to their potential.

In reality, this is a flawed roster that will greatly miss Caruso's presence on the defensive side and DeRozan's ability to take over in crunch time on the offensive one.

Chicago went 39-43 last season even with those two leading the way in some of the most important moments. They were steady playmakers for a team that didn't have many last season, and it is difficult to see the Bulls improving on their record without them.

There are far too many question marks than answers for this group, and that's not even taking into account the chance the front office decides to further accelerate a rebuild by trading some of the veteran players at the deadline.

And that will result in an even worse record.

Record Prediction: 30-52

Before DeMar DeRozan became a member of the Sacramento Kings in a sign-and-trade deal, the Chicago Bulls didn't make a strong push to keep him.

Per ESPN's Jamal Collier, DeRozan and the Bulls "never got close" to a new contract.

DeRozan landed with the Kings on a three-year, $74 million deal that saw the Bulls receive Chris Duarte and two second-round draft picks in the three-team sign-and-trade. Harrison Barnes went from Sacramento to the San Antonio Spurs.

The Bulls have been a puzzling organization to figure out. Their brief stretch early in the 2021-22 season when Lonzo Ball was healthy showed tremendous promise. They were tied for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with 12 games remaining in the regular season.

Since that time, though, the Bulls have compiled a record of 86-100. They made the play-in tournament in each of the past two seasons but were unable to make the playoff field.

Despite their struggles last season, Chicago's front office opted to stand pat at the trade deadline rather than try to begin a rebuild.

The approach seemed to change this offseason, though the results have been underwhelming to this point. Alex Caruso was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Josh Giddey in a one-for-one move that was generally criticized on Chicago's end.

Losing DeRozan this offseason for a package built around future second-round picks is better than nothing, but doesn't add a lot of long-term value to the Bulls.

Even though DeRozan will turn 35 on Aug. 7, he is still an effective offensive player. The six-time All-Star averaged 25.5 points on 49.6 percent shooting in 299 games over three seasons with the Bulls.

DeRozan will bring his scoring ability to Sacramento for a team that has won a total of 94 games over the past two seasons but missed the postseason last season after losing to the New Orleans Pelicans in the play-in tournament.

The Bulls will go into 2024-25 with a nucleus of Giddey, Coby White, Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams and Nikola Vučević. Giddey, White and Williams are a promising young group to build around, but the ceiling for this team looks to be very low without an obvious potential long-term path to contention.

The level of unease between the Chicago Bulls and star guard Zach LaVine "has been growing over the past year," according to ESPN's Jamal Collier.

Collier detailed the numerous factors that have created the discord, which include LaVine's frustration with the Bulls' performance and the organization being upset he had season-ending foot surgery last year rather than rehabbing and potentially suiting up again.

LaVine and head coach Billy Donovan "have not been on the same page in recent seasons," per Collier, though they've largely kept that out of the public view. Collier provided a full breakdown:

"LaVine has also felt singled out during film sessions and feels like he has taken too much blame for the team's losing during his tenure — which has produced one playoff appearance in seven years — despite other roster failings, sources told ESPN. Donovan, meanwhile, believes he's been trying to get LaVine to buy in to a more team-friendly playing style, according to sources, emphasizing the way the Bulls competed in LaVine's absence last year as evidence for the team's potential if LaVine fits within the system."

Everyone seems to know the lay of the land with LaVine and Chicago.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported last Friday the Bulls are "resigned to fact that they will likely be forced to start the new season with LaVine on the roster."

That's a rather damning way to describe continuing to employ a two-time All-Star who has average 24.2 points on 47.1 percent shooting over the past seven seasons. But it reflects the dilemma in which Chicago finds itself.

LaVine doesn't fit into the Bulls' long-term plans as they're leaning more into an overdue rebuild but he's a net-negative asset right now thanks to his cumbersome contract. For at least the last year, a trade market has reportedly been nonexistent.

Collier noted how LaVine and the team are incentivized to make things work as best they can. Should the 29-year-old stay healthy and perform well, it could entice a team to pursue a trade.

However, the issues cited in Collier's report raise questions over whether the two sides can even remain diplomatic long enough for that to happen.

Trade rumors surrounding Chicago Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine have been active for some time now, but the current expectation is that he'll be staying with the team at least through the beginning of the 2024-25 season, according to longtime NBA reporter Marc Stein.

"League sources say that the Bulls are thus resigned to fact that they will likely be forced to start the new season with LaVine on the roster and take it a step further by trying to help him rebuild some trade value after months of fruitless efforts to find a new home via trade — and after a foot injury and eventual surgery limited the 29-year-old to 25 games last season," Stein wrote on Friday.

LaVine underwent season-ending right foot surgery in February, cutting short a 25-game campaign that saw the 29-year-old average 19.5 points on 45.2 percent shooting, 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.

If LaVine picks up his 2026-27 player option, then the Bulls currently owe him $138 million over the next three years. Simply put, that's a difficult contract to move.

On the flip side, LaVine averaged 25.1 points per game on 47.7 percent shooting (38.8 percent from three) from 2018-19 to 2022-23. He's a talented scorer when healthy, one who is capable of single-handedly taking over a game.

At the same time, Stein points out that LaVine's trade value has likely taken a hit due to the injury. He also had a down year offensively in his limited action, so a healthy return to the court could certainly boost his profile in the eyes of interested buyers.

One can surmise that LaVine should also get a chance here to be a bigger part of the offense with DeMar DeRozan, who was No. 1 on the Bulls in scoring and usage last year, now on the Sacramento Kings. That should allow LaVine to lead the way and better showcase his talents.

For now, though, LaVine remains a Bull. The question is for how long.

Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball revealed that he's progressing in his recovery from a knee injury and will be participating in 5-on-5 basketball soon.

"My first real test, I feel like, will be this August when I play 5-on-5 for the first time," Ball said on his podcast, What an Experience.

"But it's so far so good, everything has been going well," he added.

The latest on @ZO2_ injury and the next big step he’s taking pic.twitter.com/BCk6V0JCoi

— The WAE Show (@TheWAEShow) July 26, 2024

Ball's knee issues have prevented him from playing in an NBA game since Jan. 2022.

The 26-year-old underwent multiple surgeries on his knee, revealing in May that his meniscus had been torn enough times throughout his career that he received a donor meniscus and underwent a bone allograft to have new cartilage put into his knee.

Excitement surrounded Ball during his college days at UCLA, excelling with the Bruins and becoming the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. While he never developed into an All-Star, he thrived on defense and honed his playmaking abilities to become an effective lead guard.

He averaged 13.0 points, 5.1 assists, and 1.8 steals per game on 42.3/42.3/75.0 shooting splits in his last season with the Bulls. Despite losing to the Golden State Warriors in his final appearance on Jan. 14, Chicago owned a 27-13 record at the time. The Bulls would go just 19-23 the rest of the way, falling to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs.

While Chicago likely won't be competing for a playoff spot next season following the departures of DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso over the summer, Ball's potential return to the court would still be a welcome sight.

Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic reported on June 4 that the point guard may not be back in time for opening night, although there's an expectation that he'll play at some point during the 2024-25 season.

If his upcoming 5-on-5 work goes smoothly, he'll be one step closer to suiting up in an NBA game once again.

Ahead of planned renovations for the area surrounding the United Center, the Chicago Bulls gave fans a first look at how the new arena will look.

The Bulls posted photos of the first phase of The 1901 Project Chicago on social media on Tuesday. The renovations will begin in spring 2025.

Set to begin in Spring 2025, the first phase of the #The1901ProjectChi includes:

• A 6,000-seat, theater-style music hall
• One-of-a-kind elevated park
• Reimagined parking
• Improved pedestrian experience
• Hotel and retail programming

Read more ➡️ https://t.co/XGKH42E9GK pic.twitter.com/t9gZpoR9bl

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) July 23, 2024

The Bulls also released a video that showcased some of the features from the upcoming overhaul:

https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1815772532970344621

The 1901 Project is described as "A transformative $7 billion private investment on Chicago's West Side celebrating Chicago's unique spirit. Spearheaded by the Reinsdorf and Wirtz families, The 1901 Project will transform the West Side with a jolt of new development, bridging neighborhoods and enhancing opportunities for residents, businesses and all of Chicago."

Per Brian J. Rogal of the Chicago Tribune, United Center CEO Terry Savarise estimated that the project will take at least a decade to complete. While the plan is for the majority of the funds to come from private investments, certain amenities like a new CTA Pink Line stop would require government investments.

An official proposal from the United Center has yet to be submitted to the local government, but Ciere Boatright, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, said it is in favor of the project.

"There has been no request for financial assistance," she said. "And from a land use perspective, this is an exciting opportunity to reverse decades of parking lot expansion and restore the traditional neighborhood development pattern."

The United Center opened in 1994 and is home to both the Bulls and the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks. The hope is that the 1901 Project turns the surrounding area into a sports-focused district.

"It's going to be a new neighborhood with the United Center as its anchor," Savarise said.