The Chicago Bulls defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers to open preseason play earlier this week. In a few weeks, the team will play in the regular season. The Bulls’ offseason adjustments have made this a big season for the team, and the front staff knows that the fans are eager to see successful basketball return to Chicago.
The team made it apparent early in the offseason that they understood adjustments had to be made. The squad made certain adjustments, however not all Bulls supporters were pleased with them.
It will be interesting to watch what transpires this season since the regular season is about to start. The Bulls let go of a few excellent players throughout the offseason, demonstrating their support for developing a young team. Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan were traded by Chicago.
Some Bulls supporters are hoping that the team goes into tank mode this year because of the young players the Bulls already have and Cooper Flagg, who is predicted to be the first pick in next year’s NBA Draft. Flagg may be the player the Bulls base their future around since he is predicted to be a generational talent. The front office, however, squashed those aspirations since they want to win every game.
The problem is that a team isn’t going to openly declare that they are tanking. The Bulls should attempt to select the top player available in the draft if they intend to have another lackluster campaign in which they finish as a sneaky play-in team. Nevertheless, with the lottery system in place, nothing is certain.
As you can see, the Bulls still have a lot of strategy left to employ in order to reach their goals. The team’s potential in-season moves are something else to watch at this time. There is one guy that immediately springs to mind as someone the Bulls could consider.
Zach LaVine comes to mind when you think of the Bulls and trades because of the amount of youthful talent this team might get for him and because trade whispers have been circulating about him for some time. LaVine is by far the team’s highest paid player, at slightly over $43 million annually. If the Bulls sell him, they could acquire another big-time player who fits in with the team a little better, or they could obtain some nice young stars to go along with their youthful core.
Zach LaVine is older than most of this team’s important players. The 33-year-old Nikola Vucevic is among the highest-paid players. LaVine is 29 years old. The majority of guys are significantly younger than LaVine other from that.
To be honest, LaVine’s continued status with the Bulls is a little shocking. Of course, it might have been coincidence, but following LaVine’s injury last season, Chicago’s performance on the floor improved. Before the deadline, it appeared as though he would undoubtedly be dealt; however, he ended up requiring season-ending surgery, and nothing further transpired.
How LaVine fits in with this club for the first two or three months of the season will be interesting to see. It wouldn’t be shocking at all to see the Bulls make a trade if things aren’t working out.
