Bulls Preview Team Chapter: The bulls legs are still deep in the mud. Where should the road to reconstruction go?

Review of the 2024-25 season, the Bulls scored 39 wins and 43 losses, and participated in the playoffs as the ninth in the East. In the playoffs, the Bulls lost to the Heat and missed the playoffs for three consecutive years.

In a blink of an eye, a summer has passed, and a new season is approaching. What did this team do during the offseason? What is the prospect of the new season? Let's take a look together.

Main personnel movement in offseason

Joined: Noah Esange (draft), Mohamed Geyer (training camp contract), Kawamura Yuki (two-way contract), Isaac Okoro (trading), Emanuel Miller (two-way contract)

Leave: Taren Horton Tucker (changing to the Turkish League), Jamil Young (cut off), Lonzo Ball (trading)

Renewed: Josh Gidedy, Trey Jones

Review of the Bulls' summer, there are two important operations. The first move was to select forward Noah Esange with the No. 12 draw. In the 2024-25 season, Noah Esange played a total of 57 games, averaging 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.6 blocks and 1.1 turnovers, with a shooting percentage of 52.4%, a three-point shooting percentage of 27.6%, and a free throw shooting percentage of 71.3%. Noah Essange may be the most talented and tempting rough striker of this year. He has proved his value in the Bundesliga playoffs and his professional experience is far superior to most rookies. Excellent static and dynamic talent, combined with the theoretical framework of unlimited defense switching 1-5 positions, the upper limit of the defensive end is very high. Although the offensive end is poor on the outside, it also has its own unique highlights. If the shooting development goes well, he is expected to become an offensive and defensive forward. If the development is not smooth, he is likely to become a defensive engineer. Next, he will be the focus of the Bulls' training target.

The second transaction was to renew Gidey for 4 years and $100 million. Lonzo Ball left the team. Gidey has All-Star potential, and the Bulls will build a system with Gidey as the core. In the 2024-25 season, Gidey scored a total of 1,022 points, 566 rebounds and 503 assists, making him one of only three NBA players to reach this stat (the other two are James and Jokic). Giddy played 70 games in her first season with the Bulls (69 starts), averaging 30.2 minutes per game, contributing 14.6 points, a career-high 8.1 rebounds, a team-high 7.2 assists and a career-best 1.2 steals.

The current lineup

The following are the general situation of the Bulls' lineup in the new season:

defenders: Gidey, Jewan Carter, Kobe White, Dosum, Trey Jones, Kawamura Yuki (two-way contract)

Forwards: Xuert, Patrick Williams, Ocorro, Darren Terry, Julian Phillips, Chris Duarte, Boozelis, Noah Essange, Emanuel Miller (two-way contract)

Inside: Vucevic, Jaylen Smith, Zach Collins

Looking forward to the new season

Will the Bulls be better than at the end of last season?

The answer is no. In general, the Bulls' offseason this year does not mean a real reconstruction. They have lost Lonzo Ball and Laven, and the best reward they get is Ocorro. The Bulls gave Giddy a four-year, $100 million contract renewal, clarifying the future direction of team building, but the overall strength of the team did not change much from last season. With other teams in the East being strengthened, the Bulls may miss the playoffs for four consecutive years. After years of trial and error, the good news is that the Bulls are ready to rebuild, and the bad news is that they have no clear direction yet.

In this case, before the trading deadline in February next year, the Bulls may continue to try to trade players in the team. Perhaps players except Gidey will be placed on the shelves and there are no non-sale products. Because with their current lineup list, the Bulls are not bad enough to chase the No. 1 pick, but they want to go further but can't do anything. The team may be content with the status quo, and the future of the team is still unclear. The Bulls' biggest move during the offseason is to renew their contracts with Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturas Canisovas and head coach Billy Donovan, which seems to indicate that the team is satisfied with its current record of 38 to 44 wins. However, for fans who dream more and hope that the team can go further, such results may disappoint them.

The four-year, US$100 million renewal agreement between Gidedi and the Bulls was the result of multiple negotiations between the two sides. Gidey can ensure the team's lower limit, and whether he can continue to grow in the future will determine the team's upper limit. The Bulls have missed the playoffs for three consecutive years, and the team has not really clarified the direction of the team building. Whether to compete for the playoffs or play badly to win the No. 1 pick, there seems to be no unified answer within the management.

In addition, the trade of Lonzo Ball to the Cavaliers for Ocorro also seemed dull. The best part of this deal is that Okoro, as the ninth man on a good team, is more likely than Ball to maintain a steady performance throughout the season.

Record& ranking forecast

predicts that the Bulls will lose 35 wins and 47 losses in the regular season in the new season, ranking 9th in the Eastern Conference. Given the possible future trades of the Bulls, this forecast may be higher than the actual situation. The Bulls' biggest goal in the new season may be a bad match for No. 1 pick AJ Dibansa, and they are likely to dive to the bottom of the East.