The Bulls have legitimate reasons to 'aggressively shop' veteran talents

Over the past 12 months, the Chicago Bulls have been struggling to kickstart their rebuild. Overinflated contracts, injuries and aging veterans have made it difficult for the franchise to locate willing trade partners. With the Feb. 6 trade deadline fast approaching, the front office will feel rising pressure.

The 2025 NBA Draft is projected to be littered with high-level young talent but the Bulls owe their 2025 draft selection to the San Antonio Spurs. However, the pick is protected if it falls within the top 10 of the lottery. As such, Chicago must find a way of moving on from some of its stars, including Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball.

"A source indicated that the Bulls’ goal is to continue aggressively shopping Ball, Vucevic and Zach LaVine, as well as any other name that makes sense," Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reported. "That was their focus going into the season, and it remains their focus even while some solid moments of basketball have been played. The underlying reason is that the Bulls will keep their first-round pick in the loaded 2025 draft if they can land in the bottom 10 of the lottery; otherwise it goes to the Spurs. Karnisovas’ crew entered Sunday in 10th in the draft order."

Chicago has limited tradeable assets, which is why its decision not to push for a bigger return for Alex Caruso was so perplexing. Therefore, the team must use the picks it has available, which makes the upcoming draft an essential part of its rebuilding strategy.

Right now, the Bulls are too good to land in the bottom 10 of the NBA. Vucevic is playing like an All-Star, Ball is contributing at a higher level than expected and Zach LaVine is highly competitive. To fall far enough, at least two of that trio must find new homes in the coming months. 

Most teams enter a season with a do-or-die mentality in terms of chasing a championship. Chicago is the total opposite. They must find a way to get worse between now and February. If they fail, they could be stuck in NBA purgatory for years. 

Fortunately, Billy Donovan has done a great job showcasing the talent. Now, all the Bulls can do is wait and see if the phone starts ringing as trade season begins to heat up.