It’s another season of mediocrity for the Chicago Bulls. At the beginning of the season, they were 9-3 and in first place of the Eastern Conference, breaking records set during the Jordan Era. But now the Bulls have fallen back down to Earth, now barely holding onto a play-in spot and owners of a 19-21 record at the time this is being written. The Bulls have been in a perpetual state of mediocrity for the past few years. Which is arguably worse than outright sucking, as being mediocre means you don’t get a good enough draft pick to really have an impact, but you also aren’t competing. The real question is, how are the Bulls going to get themselves out of NBA purgatory? With the upcoming trade deadline, here are some moves that we recommend the team take to be competitive next year.

First, a quick overview of their roster. Their most famous player right now is former Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey. Giddey is by far the best player on the Bulls, putting up 19 points, 9 boards, and 9 assists every night. Our second-best player is guard Coby White, who has often been injured this year. He has still put up solid stats, with 18 points a night on 58% true shooting. But his injuries have certainly held him back from his true potential this year. 

The starting center, Nikola Vučević, has definitely been solid, putting up 16 points with 9 boards a night, but he’s nothing more than a traffic cone on defense. There is also the young and upcoming star wing Matas Buzelis, who has been electric when he’s on and provides the best highlight plays for the team. He was thrown into the limelight after dunking on Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs.

With the upcoming Feb. 5 trade deadline, the Bulls are certainly an interesting team. There are many moves the bulls could make, and many more that they should make. 

The first move they should make is trading Vučević. Many teams need a reliable big man, and the Bulls could use this as leverage. The trade that makes the most sense would be one to the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors are an upcoming team currently in fourth place in the East, but they are lacking a reliable center to elevate their team. In a hypothetical trade, Chicago would send Vučević to Toronto in exchange for a young player like Gradey Dick and a first-round pick. However, the Bulls would have to eat at least half of Vučević’s salary for the season, as the Raptors are currently above the salary cap this year. 

Another possible move the Bulls could make at the deadline would be moving Patrick Williams. Williams is in his sixth year in the league after the Bulls took him fourth overall in the 2020 NBA draft. This was a pick that made sense to nobody at the time, and he has not lived up to the little hype that he had coming into the league. He doesn’t really provide anything to the team, so moving him would be difficult, but a team looking for wing depth and a veteran presence could use him. A move to the Charlotte Hornets could be good for him, as they are a young and rising team that could use some veteran leadership. His role would be reduced, but maybe that is the step that’s necessary for him to be reliable for a team.

Those are just a few of the possible moves the Bulls could make. The NBA is an ever-changing landscape, so these moves could possibly be outdated by the time of the trade deadline. It is hard to predict what happens in basketball, as trades and injuries could drastically change a team. 

The Bulls could light on fire after the posting of this, or they could take a greater fall into the depths of the East. As of right now, though, these moves would greatly assist the future of the Chicago Bulls and make them a competitive and viable team next year.