LaVine traded to the Kings as part of 3 team deal (Huerter, Tre Jones to Bulls)

[MrSparkle]

Upon reflecting… my prediction is that we end up with the 9th pick when this season ends.

Coby is going to play better with Zach gone. Matas is going to help win games, because we haven’t had a lengthy wing like him since Luol (and Billy is honestly dumb for not starting him at the top of the season like most lottery picks on bad teams- Patrick did nothing at any point to “win” his starting spot. Don’t care how raw Matas is).

Vuc and Giddey can make plays. We just introduced 1 new permanent defender into the lineup by moving Zach. This team isn’t going to have some insane sub-200 drop off. We’re gonna go .400 the rest of the way.

Billy wants good soldiers more than good players. He’s going to enjoy coaching 1 less ego.

It’s all stupid. Of course 20% top-4 odds aren’t the end of the world, but 40% would’ve been much better. Nevertheless, I’d start scouting the Egor, Khaman, Saraf, Queen zone. You can atleast draft another Matas caliber prospect in that range. Fortunately the organization is going to draft the best talent with no regard to all the disappoints left on the roster.

I think Coby, Vuc, Giddey remain Bulls. Goal of resigning them all cheap. I think they’ll (try) to pump and dump Pat. Truth is he’s not a competitor. By dump, I mean get an expiring 2026 contract(s) - not talent or picks.

[boozapalooza]

FWIW the Raptors are 16-33 but 8-2 in last 10 games. Brooklyn is also 16-33 and has a 2 games winning streak. Toronto has the easiest remaining schedule and Brooklyn has the 7th. Philly at 19-29 has the 3rd easiest schedule. Bulls have the 10th hardest schedule remaining. Realistically we could get to 7th (currently Philly) which would give us a 7.5% chance of #1. But they do have a chance at #5 which would be 10% odds (the worst 3 teams have 14% odds).

If you're tanking, you really want to finish in the bottom 3. That's the right way to do it. I'd even say bottom 4 is fine, but every percentage point matters in a tank year.

We've played 50 games. Have 32 to go. We have to make up 9 losses in 32 games right now to be one of the worst 4 teams. Its a tough ask. No doubt. I just don't see it happening.

We need to go like 8-24 to get to the 5-6 pick.

If we can trade Vooch, Coby, and Lonzo, its possible. The remains of this team will be booty cheeks. The #1 option would be Giddey or Ayo? Maybe PWill? Its gonna get gross.

[MrSparkle]

I’ll add that I’m glad we didn’t go the Kuminga (rfa/resign) or Ingram (ufa/extension) routes. Would’ve been pretty depressing to see another overpaid fringe wing replace the arguably better Zach or Demar void.

Having clean books in 2026 sounds great. Hopefully they find a way to change Pat for a blank sheet of paper.

[ThisGuyFawkes]

Upon reflecting… my prediction is that we end up with the 9th pick when this season ends.

Coby is going to play better with Zach gone. Matas is going to help win games, because we haven’t had a lengthy wing like him since Luol (and Billy is honestly dumb for not starting him at the top of the season like most lottery picks on bad teams- Patrick did nothing at any point to “win” his starting spot. Don’t care how raw Matas is).

Vuc and Giddey can make plays. We just introduced 1 new permanent defender into the lineup by moving Zach. This team isn’t going to have some insane sub-200 drop off. We’re gonna go .400 the rest of the way.

Billy wants good soldiers more than good players. He’s going to enjoy coaching 1 less ego.

It’s all stupid. Of course 20% top-4 odds aren’t the end of the world, but 40% would’ve been much better. Nevertheless, I’d start scouting the Egor, Khaman, Saraf, Queen zone. You can atleast draft another Matas caliber prospect in that range. Fortunately the organization is going to draft the best talent with no regard to all the disappoints left on the roster.

I think Coby, Vuc, Giddey remain Bulls. Goal of resigning them all cheap. I think they’ll (try) to pump and dump Pat. Truth is he’s not a competitor. By dump, I mean get an expiring 2026 contract(s) - not talent or picks.

I think the fact that we haven't cut 2 players yet is a sign that there are still moves to be made. Vuc is almost certainly gone, but I'm not sure about Coby. Should be interesting.

[DuckIII]

One thing to add that, given our very clearly incompetent FO, can’t be overlooked. Which is that they didn’t completely blow it and trade him for that Denver package or some other desperate package to try to stay in the “playoff picture.”

We dodged a bullet that AK is perfectly capable of firing. Thank god for that. When AK is your GM, “it could have been a lot worse” isn’t something to sneeze at. Because it really, really could have been.

Arturas Karsinovas: At least he’s not Nico Harrison.

[League Circles]

Zach is having a great season. But it doesn’t matter because:

1. He wasn’t going to be part of the future either way and
2. His contract was making it virtually impossible to move him for value.

The bottom line is that a Zach trade was always going to look something like this. The sooner folks come to that realization, the sooner people will see why this makes sense.

He could and should have been part of our future if this was the best offer available for him.

It would be super awesome if he always looked like this.

It would be awesome. And as I’ve noted, I’ve been a HUGE Zach supporter. But at some point you have to acknowledge the gap between what we want and what is. And what the situation is, is that Zach is a very good player that is coming up on 30 and is best suited for a team that is closer to contention than we currently are. Zach (on his own) is a player that’s good enough to keep a team like us on the treadmill.

I don't really care where Zach is best suited. I care whether the Bulls are best suited with him or with the garbage they just got for him. If he's good enough to keep us on the treadmill, then he's good enough to be our starting SG for the next 5 years or so.

[Guru]

Are we 100% sure we got our 1st rounder back forever? Or is it just this year?

[Am2626]

Very hard to make that argument. He was playing very well this year IMO.

I would argue it was his best year since being a Bull and best season in his entire career.

Zach is having a great season. But it doesn’t matter because:

1. He wasn’t going to be part of the future either way and
2. His contract was making it virtually impossible to move him for value.

The bottom line is that a Zach trade was always going to look something like this. The sooner folks come to that realization, the sooner people will see why this makes sense.

I feel that the Bulls should have been able to get better draft capital and or a better younger player. They should have been able to get at least a first round pick instead of just removing the protection of their own pick. I don’t see how they couldn’t get this year’s Sac or Spurs 1st or one of the 3 first round picks that went to Sac. Also am very surprised that the Spurs were able to keep Stephon Castle and get Fox. It shows how a well run organization operates from the top down in the Spurs versus the garbage of the Bulls Organization from the top down. Would love for a trade of the Bulls ownership and FO for the Spurs. That’s the trade I want to see happen.

[Muzbar]

Are we 100% sure we got our 1st rounder back forever? Or is it just this year?

The Bulls didn't trade their 2026 or 2027 picks, they only traded their 2025 pick.

[SfBull]

I really dont get this trade. We take our own pick, who was a mistake made by AK to deliver them tô SAS for a FA DDR, and trash, for 25 ppg guy who is finally play a smarter game. Even when we fall apart almost 2 decades ago, and have lucky in The lottery to land D-Rose, we did that without have to trade any of our core guys (Kirk, BG, Deng, Noc, Noah and TT was still here) so we get a stud to play with good, complementary role players, and It was fun and give hope to us, at least. And now what? Assuming we have the luck to get Flagg (wich was a long shot), with whom will he play? Vuc will be gone for shure, Ayo is a role player who, once lost his athelticism to infiltrate with speed will became a non facture, Coby is a good role player but we dont have a clue with this FO If he will stay, and If he gets traded we will go nothing in retorn, Lonzo is one serious injury for his carrer to be over and resign Giddey with a bunch of busts will only eat cap space.

If we were in NBA hell before? Where are we now? In the same position when MJ retired?

I'd rather trade Vuc and join our FRP with LaVine.

It doesnt mather If we have the capspace of his salary sooner if none of the all star FA will want to join the bunch of scrubs that is our team now. (T-Mac 2000 vibe). We are, at least, half decade lose games with one (if no the) worsts teams in the league and have a bunch of rookies making noise (like 2004 team) is almost to impossible.

We are in the hell, gentlemen. And without having a fun in one game or two.

AK are the worst FO I've ever seen in the our team. Even VDN as a coach was better than this FO.

For those who want to get rid of LaVine, have fun. With a lose culture, our possible good rookies will never thrive.

This.

[SfBull]

This is a B-/C+ trade. Not exciting, but I doubt there was a B+ trade out there right now. Feels like waiting for the offseason may have yielded something better, but player value feels weird right now across the league.

The protections on the SA pick made it likely that it would have at least warped our roster building during those years, even if it didn't convey. It's more valuable draft capital than I would have expected to have gotten back for Zach. We got 3 JAG's who should be able to be re-purposed into something else if we want.

I think the TPE is low-key interesting. Seems like we ought to be able use it on an overpaid player to collect assets with.

This was a F+ trade

[Axl Rose]

Are we 100% sure we got our 1st rounder back forever? Or is it just this year?

It was a 2025 pick that only turned into a 2026 pick if the top 10 protection triggered. I don't think it's possible to trade it back then still get it next year. That would call for the Bulls trading the 2026 for the 2025.

[The Force.]

One thing to add that, given our very clearly incompetent FO, can’t be overlooked. Which is that they didn’t completely blow it and trade him for that Denver package or some other desperate package to try to stay in the “playoff picture.”

We dodged a bullet that AK is perfectly capable of firing. Thank god for that. When AK is your GM, “it could have been a lot worse” isn’t something to sneeze at. Because it really, really could have been.

Arturas Karsinovas: At least he’s not Nico Harrison.

That remains to be seen. If Vuc and Ball aren’t moved (or they’re traded for comparable veterans) they’ll be right back on the treadmill.

[SfBull]

The trade is fine as a salary dump. I thought he has unfairly considered ‘unmovable’ over the past year. Zach is a good player, good to watch and a good guy. I wish him well.

I have no faith in the front office at the moment. I also do not have patience for another rebuild.

You're going to watch a long rebuilding

[Betta Bulleavit]

Are we 100% sure we got our 1st rounder back forever? Or is it just this year?

Yep. This trade makes it to where we are done owing picks…..for now at least.

[Betta Bulleavit]

The trade is fine as a salary dump. I thought he has unfairly considered ‘unmovable’ over the past year. Zach is a good player, good to watch and a good guy. I wish him well.

I have no faith in the front office at the moment. I also do not have patience for another rebuild.

You're going to watch a long rebuilding

In fairness, we’ve never really seen a full rebuild from this regime. Granted, there is plenty of reason for skepticism. But technically, the tear down phase started last off season when we traded AC. DeMar was next. And now Levine. Vuc is likely on deck. A successful rebuild (if done right) in the NBA is generally a 3-4 year process.

[FriedRise]

Read on Twitter

[Betta Bulleavit]

This is a B-/C+ trade. Not exciting, but I doubt there was a B+ trade out there right now. Feels like waiting for the offseason may have yielded something better, but player value feels weird right now across the league.

The protections on the SA pick made it likely that it would have at least warped our roster building during those years, even if it didn't convey. It's more valuable draft capital than I would have expected to have gotten back for Zach. We got 3 JAG's who should be able to be re-purposed into something else if we want.

I think the TPE is low-key interesting. Seems like we ought to be able use it on an overpaid player to collect assets with.

This was a F+ trade

How so?

[League Circles]

Still feeling gross about this trade. Hopefully we can move Collins or Vuc asap. And other garbage.

[Ctownbulls]

As of now, the only players on the team with contracts beyond next season are Patrick Williams, Matas Buzelis, Jalen Smith, and Julian Phillips. There is a lot of flexibility and a clean slate to work with for the tank into competitiveness.