Bulls Fans Up in Arms as Trade Deadline Hope Fizzles Away

Getty Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine walks to the bench during a game against the Atlanta Hawks.

Entering Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, the word on the street was that the Chicago Bulls‘ front office — led by Arturas Karnisovas — would take a conservative approach to roster tinkering. There was a thought that the team would at least listen to offers for Zach LaVine; at the same time, the 27-year-old is still the team’s cornerstone piece. Also: his knee issues have almost certainly affected his trade value.

And while there was clear logic in exploring the market for DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic, too, given their respective ages, contract situations and skill sets, they — along with LaVine — were what made it possible for the Bulls to end their postseason drought in 2022, which is no small thing.

So, if the Bulls weren’t going to trade any of their “Big 3” in a reset/retool-type scenario, it would stand to reason that Karnisovas and Co. would look to make improvements around the margins.

Instead, the deadline came and went without so much as a blip of activity from the Windy City crew one way or the other. Consequently, the Bulls joined the Cleveland Cavaliers as one of just two teams league-wide to forgo making some kind of trade. And fans are clearly less than enthused about the inaction.

Bulls Nation Sounds Off on Arturas Karnisovas’ Slow Trade Deadline

In the wake of an uneventful deadline — and Karnisovas’ press conference explaining the thought process behind it — fans were especially harsh with their takes on the Bulls’ future.

Wrote one fan on Reddit: “[Karnisovas] sounded miserable and disinterested, like he half didn’t believe what he was saying himself. The Bulls are once again trapped in NBA hell, and he drove them there. DeMar and [Alex] Caruso are his only for sure good moves. I think the team is lost and hate [owner Jerry Reinsdorf] so much.”

Added a second Redditor: “This dude lost me as soon as we traded for Vuc. And then reaffirmed my opinion when he gave Zach the max. Team is at best a mediocre, easily beat by 2nd round team. Hire [former 76ers GM Sam Hinkie] n do the process.”

The reaction on Twitter was similarly critical.

“The Bulls will be thrilled to say they will find value in the buyout market today,” wrote SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell. “They said the same thing last year, and they signed Tristan Thompson. Loser s*** all the way around.”

“Bulls seriously losing to a brand new Nets team missing half their roster,” tweeted another fan amid the Bulls’ Thursday night bout with Brooklyn. “But [Karnisovas, GM Marc Eversley and head coach Billy Donovan] really like this group. What planet are they on, can we have our FO and HC DRUG TESTED NOT JOKING.”

Nikola Vucevic Open to Staying With Bulls Long-Term

Of all the Bulls’ non-moves during the deadline, the decision to hang onto Vucevic may be the one with the potential to come back and bite them the soonest. After all, the former All-Star and Chicago have yet to find common ground on a contract extension, and Vucevic is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

During his press conference, however, Karnisovas made it clear that the team wants to bring him back. For his part, Vucevic has indicated that he’s at least open to a continued partnership, too. Although he stopped well short of offering any assurances in speaking to reporters on Thursday evening.

“That feels good,” Vucevic said of Karnisovas’ comments, via NBC Sports Chicago. “Obviously, there are going to be certain things to talk about and figure out. But I’m happy here. I have a good relationship with a lot of my teammates and I’m playing much more comfortably lately. So all those things are important.”

Coming into the game against the Nets, Vucevic had logged 56 appearances for the Bulls in 2022-23, averaging 18.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per contest while shooting 52.2% from the field and 36.1% from three-point range.