CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – OCTOBER 04: Zach LaVine #8, Nikola Vucevic #9 and DeMar DeRozan #11 of the Chicago Bulls look on against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half of a preseason game at the United Center on October 04, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois.NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Teams with losing records who started the season with playoff aspirations may have to change course and start selling pieces at the NBA Trade Deadline.
With the NBA Trade Deadline less than 2 months away, the clock is ticking for teams to start making the important decision of buying or selling. Let’s take a look at three unexpected sellers we could see come February.
These 3 teams could make the decision to start selling assets at the NBA Trade Deadline:
3. Chicago Bulls (11-16)
Bulls fans don’t want to hear this, but this current roster simply isn’t good enough to contend for an NBA title. Believe it or not, the 11-16 record isn’t even the strongest reason why a re-tool is necessary. It’s last year when Chicago squared off against Milwaukee in the first round of the playoffs.
The Bulls were beaten handily four games to one, with Giannis Antetokounmpo dominating them in all facets of the game. With Milwaukee being a true title contender, and Chicago being nowhere close to beating them in a seven-game series, it’s time for Chicago to rebuild. There is no catching Boston. There is no catching Milwaukee. The trio of LaVine, DeRozan, and Vucevic has been struggling all season, earning them the eighth-worst net rating as of Dec. 6. It’s time to rebuild.
As we all know, Chicago has a plethora of assets they can deal, whether it’s packaging LaVine and DeRozan for an absolute haul, or moving an expiring Nikola Vucevic contract. They’ve also got some nice role players, with guards Alex Caruso and Coby White. The question is what will they do? Will this organization make the right move and rebuild?