The Chicago Bulls finished up yet another mediocre season a couple weeks ago as they lost to the Miami Heat in the NBA play-in tournament. It was a disappointing season, so it was fitting for it to end in disappointing fashion. The Bulls got out to a good start in Miami as they hit a few threes early to go up 11-6, but it was all Heat after that. Miami won the game 112-91, and they are now headed to the playoffs to take on the Boston Celtics.
After going up 11-6, the Bulls surrendered a massive run and ended up going down by 20 in the second quarter. After they went down 20, the Bulls actually did a good job of weathering the storm. Chicago fought back and made it a seven point game in the third quarter, but the Heat turned things back on and ended up winning in blowout fashion.
The Bulls finished the regular season with a 39-43 record. They did get a win against the Atlanta Hawks in their first play-in tournament game, but they once again failed to make it into the playoffs. Chicago was just one win away and a victory in Miami on Friday night would’ve sent them to the playoffs, but they couldn’t get the job done.
So, another season is in the books for the Bulls. After starting 5-14, things went pretty well, but they are still far from satisfying this hungry fan base. No one really expected this team to make it to the postseason in the early stages of the year, so making it this far was exceeding expectations, but the fan base wants more. The Bulls are going to be making some moves this offseason, and some of those moves will be in the trade world. Here is one more realistic option and one less realistic option for the Bulls.
More realistic: Kevin Huerter
Kevin Huerter isn’t the flashiest player in the world, but he could be a valuable asset for the Bulls in the future if they were to trade for him. A big reason why Chicago could use a play like Huerter is his ability to shoot the deep ball.
The Bulls were in an interesting team from three last season. They have some good shooters on the team and they had some nights where they were lights out, but they ended up with one of the worst three point shooting percentages in the league. They could use some more shooters, and Huerter could be a good option as he always been solid from deep.
Less realistic: D’Angelo Russell
A less realistic option for the Bulls to get some shooting help is D’Angelo Russell. There a lot of question marks surrounding the Lakers this offseason because of another subpar season, and LeBron James might want to take his talents elsewhere. If that does happen, this team could look extremely different next season.
Why not try to trade for D’Angelo Russell if you’re the Bulls and that happens? Chicago has to make some big moves, and we know that they’re likely going to trade Zach LaVine this offseason. They can get good some talent in that trade, and the mentality should be go big or go home.
This is certainly a bit of a reach, but it is possible, and the Bulls need to be pulling out all the stops at this point.