Chicago has announced a major rebuild.
On July 7 (KST), local US sports media ‘Clutch Point’ reported on the Chicago Bulls’ rebuild. According to the report, Chicago will enjoy the rebuilding button because Dermar Drojan has been traded. It added that other key players such as Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball will also leave the team.
Chicago has had a stormy offseason. They traded key player Alex Caruso for Josh Giddy, and also lost DeRozan to the Sacramento Kings in a sign-and-trade. Caruso and DeRozan were the offensive and defensive aces of Chicago’s 2023-2024 season. It was a devastating blow to 카지노사이트 Chicago’s offense.
The Bulls finished the 2023-2024 season with 39 wins and 43 losses, good for ninth place in the Eastern Conference. They failed to make the playoffs, losing in the play-in tournament to the Miami Heat. With the departure of their star player, their chances of making the playoffs were even less likely.
As a result, the Bulls are expected to rebuild with half of their roster gone. Chicago saw a huge improvement from fifth-year guard Koby White in the 2023-2024 season. He averaged 19 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists and emerged as the Bulls’ hope. Chicago will use White and Giddy, who was acquired in a trade, as the centerpiece of their rebuild. The rest of the roster is all tradeable.
Zach LaVine is the player who will get the most attention. Lavine has been Chicago’s ace in recent years. He could easily average 20 points a game and was a guaranteed scorer.
His issues are defense and ball handling. He’s a quality scorer, but he’s not a player who can set up his teammates or lead an offense with his skills. He needs a point guard who can orchestrate the offense. His defense is also lacking.
This is why his value has plummeted on the trade market. He’s not a versatile player and his defense is weak, and he has $45 million a year left on his contract through 2027. That’s a lot of money for a team to take on. There are even reports that Chicago would have to throw in a draft pick to get rid of him.
Ball is in a similar situation. Ball signed a four-year, $80 million contract with Chicago ahead of the 2021-2022 season. The beginning of his career was great. Ball was playing well, the Bulls were winning, and Chicago was in first place in the Eastern Conference. But injuries ruined everything.
Ball suffered a serious knee injury that cost him two years, from 2022 to 2024. There was even talk of retirement due to his condition. The good news is that Ball will be back on the court in the 2024-2025 season. However, no team will be willing to pay a trade price for Ball.
In other words, Chicago likely won’t get what it deserves in return for its key resources, Ball and Rabin. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t deal Lavine and Ball. Keeping them would likely hinder the development of other young players.
It”s a situation where you can”t do this and you can”t do that. A total quandary is an apt description of the situation in Chicago.