Do The Bulls Have What It Takes To Become Contenders?

Since Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton fell to the court in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals after tearing his Achilles, the conversation surrounding the Eastern Conference has been simple: It is wide open.

Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles tendon in the Conference Semifinals, where they were eliminated, and Damian Lillard's Achilles tear ended his tenure in Milwaukee.

With multiple teams seemingly out of championship contention, rival Eastern Conference teams smelled blood in the water and attacked the offseason with urgency.

The Bulls are an interesting wild card.

While they were eliminated in the Play-In Tournament for the third consecutive year, Chicago was solid in the second half of the season with core pieces of their team rising to a new level.

The Bulls 2024-2025 Season Ending with a 39-43 record and missing the playoffs, the Chicago Bulls continued a pattern of mediocrity.

During the season, the Bulls traded their franchise cornerstone, Zach LaVine, to the Sacramento Kings.

Still, before the season, they acquired guard Josh Giddey from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for fan favorite Alex Caruso.

Despite overall struggles, there were some bright spots towards the end of the season.

Giddey, first-round pick Matas Buzelis, and Coby White showed promise and gave Bulls fans some hope for the future.

Why The Bulls Haven't Been a Contender Since 2011 The catastrophic injuries to former MVP and newly retired Derrick Rose derailed a promising era that was built around him, Joakim Noah, and Luol Deng through the early 2010s.

After reaching the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat in 2011, they have not reached that point since.

After Derrick Rose left, the Bulls failed to capitalize on the talent of new star players like Jimmy Butler , and the front office's strategy has long been criticized for being indecisive.

The Bulls have remained in a state of limbo, not fully committing to a rebuild while also not being good enough to contend.

The Front Office Is Widely Criticized The Chicago Bulls front office , led by Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley, with the Reisendorf family involved, has been criticized consistently for its management of the team.

Over the years, they have been unable to get proper value in trades for their key players.

LaVine, Caruso, and even DeMar DeRozan did not receive an adequate return compared to their value, and it has sunk Chicago's ability to recoup tangible assets.

When ranking each NBA team's offseason, David Aldridge of The Athletic echoed the feelings of the fans.

"The Bulls arent getting any points for speed, but they continued their methodical buildup by drafting Essengue, who could team up nicely with last years first-round pick, Matas Buzelis, and form a promising young forward tandem.

Coby Whites big jump the last two years made Ball expendable, so getting more length and defensive versatility in Okoro for him was a decent return," Aldridge said.

"Getting Josh Giddey extended before camp is the next expected step.

But at some point, Chicago is going to have to be more intentional in making bigger moves that can get it out of Play-In round hell.

Unless its cool staying in Play-In round hell," he added The Bulls may be in a weaker conference in the 2025-2026 season, but is their core ready for a leap into playoff contention? Related Articles Chicago Bulls Set to Face Major Rival on Derrick Rose Jersey Retirement Game LeBron James Reacts To Major Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls News Josh Giddey Using Leverage Against the Chicago Bulls in Contract Talks.

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