Latest Woj Bomb Proves Bulls Are Delusional

ESPN’s premier NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski is a household name for his reputation as the first to report any and all NBA news on the scene. Trades, free agency signings, and coaching hires are just a few of the newsworthy things that Woj is famous for bringing to light in the basketball world. The Chicago Bulls were recently mentioned in one of his pre-game news recaps, and fans in the Windy City might want to cover their ears. With a 9-14 record and having dropped four of their last five, the Bulls have been centered around trade rumors, and when asked head-on if they were sellers yet, Woj gave a very concerning response.

“Zach Lavine, DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, I think those are all players, teams are waiting to see will any of them be available by the trade deadline… Right now, this is a chicago team that wants to make the playoffs, wants to get a healthy Lonzo ball back, they’re not ready to concede yet”

Adrian Wojnarowski via ESPN’s NBA Countdown

No Signs Of Life

Typically news like this could be discounted as being too early in the year or just a farce altogether, but in the Bulls’ case, it could turn into reality before too long. Chicago has been under .500 through 10, 15, 20, and nearing 25 games into the year, and there’s no indication things will change. With absolutely no cap space, only Lonzo Ball yet to return from injury, and no significant adjustments in the works, there’s nothing that shows this embarrassing campaign won’t continue through the entire season.

After beating two top seeds in the Eastern Conference a week ago, the Bulls dropped four of their last five during their West Coast trip and are right back where they’ve been all year out of the playoffs looking in. Star Zach Lavine is averaging his worst numbers as a Bull, and the same can be said for Nikola Vucevic. With both being paid 65 million dollars combined, fans can’t help but wonder if the investment is spoiled along with the season. Head coach Billy Donovan tried benching young role players Ayo Dosunmu and Patrick Williams in exchange for defensive help in Alex Caruso and Javonte Green, with little to no change in results.

Waive The White Flag

Whether Bulls’ fans want to accept it or not, this is the best way to gain a profit this season. Nikola Vucevic and Patrick Williams are the main assets, but DeMar DeRozan could also be a sell-high candidate. Lavine’s contract will keep opposing general managers away, but the rest of these guys should be shipped while the demand is high. With Vucevic’s contract up after this year, any value that can be extracted from the underwhelming two-time all-star is positive. Considering Williams has not shown even a single point per game of improvement over his young career, it’s time to see if a team with draft capital will take a flyer on the former fourth overall selection. Seeing the haul that fellow stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell just demanded this past off-season, a similar package for the 2021-22′ top-five MVP candidate DeRozan would be perfect for the Bulls to turn a dwindling season into somewhat of a success for the future.

With Chicago on pace for a record in the 32-50 ballpark and missing the playoffs, now is the time to take the bailout option. In the upcoming 2023 NBA Draft, they’ve traded their first-round selection to the Orlando Magic, but there is a silver lining. The pick is top-four protected, meaning a fire-sale of top assets for more draft capital and tanking the rest of the season could result in upwards of 60 million dollars in cap space, a top-four draft selection, and future draft capital or young talent to build a new roster around Lavine. If the Bulls’ front office knows what’s best for them, they’ll take this season to the chin, humbly accept defeat, and grab hold of this lifeline before it is too late.