NEWSLETTER
I feel rather confident in declaring that the days are numbered for this iteration of the Chicago Bulls. What that number is, however, remains unclear.
A 5-13 start to the year has hopefully showed the front office what many outside observers could already see: this core isn’t built for the long haul. The trio of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic remain a net negative when on the floor for a third-straight season. Meanwhile, the team’s young talent has struggled to break out in a meaningful way.
Throw in the rumors about LaVine’s willingness to be traded and the still-unresolved contract situation with DeRozan … and, well, a sizable roster overhaul feels like the only path forward. Unfortunately, that path is still perhaps months away.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks appeared on NBA Today to speak about a “blow it up” timeline for the Chicago Bulls. And the former NBA front office reminded everyone of a rather sobering fact.
“If you look at the last two years, there have been zero trades in the month of December here,” Marks said. “So it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better for Chicago. And I think you’ll start to hear a lot more chatter about DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine, and Alex Caruso when we get after January 1st.”
Oh, lovely!
No December trades over the past two seasons sure isn’t the news any Bulls fan wants to hear right now. Yet, it does make plenty of sense. Let’s not forget that 90+ players can’t hit the trade market until Dec. 15, which represents the day most players who signed new deals this offseason can be traded. Then, there is another batch of players who will not see their trade restrictions lifted until as late as January 15.
We wrote more about this one the same day the Zach LaVine news dropped a couple of weeks ago.
Now, does that mid-December date give us at least some hope that trades can start shortly after? Sure. But Marks said what he said for multiple reasons. December is still only the second full month of the season. Many teams are still figuring themselves out and determining the best path forward. I also think the Play-In Tournament has some kind of impact on the hesitancy to pursue early-season deals. Some teams may be less likely to make the “panic trade” knowing they have a postseason buffer of sorts.
At the end of the day, there is a reason the trade deadline isn’t until early February. Teams need an extended period of time to decide where they are at and how competitive they can be. Not to mention, they need time to determine whether or not making a MASSIVE move for a $40+ million player like Zach LaVine is worth it.
This is why I remain extremely frustrated with the timing of this whole Zach LaVine thing. If both the Bulls and his camp were on this thin of ice, why couldn’t they have tried harder to come to a resolution before the regular season? Reaching a boiling point less than a month into the regular season put the franchise in an even more awkward position – one that will likely lead to an extra month of atrocious basketball in Chicago (and less leverage for the Bulls).
And as Marks pointed out, things are only about to get worse for the Bulls. Nine of their next 10 games will come against opponents who are currently above .500.
So, yeah, I hope you’re prepared for the Chicago Bulls to hold our arms back while they take several last blows at our gut. This is going to be a long and painful wait.
Watch Bobby Marks’ full appearance on ESPN here:
