Bulls’ Collin Sexton on new-look roster: ‘We definitely can be very special’

The Bulls tore the roster down last week, but they’re not calling it a rebuild. Not yet.

Chicago made seven trades ahead of the deadline and rolled out a group Saturday night against Denver that barely knew each other’s names. Seven new players were in uniform. One walkthrough. Very little practice time.

And yet, the Bulls led by seven heading into the fourth quarter before things finally slipped away.

That part mattered.

“We definitely can be very special,” newly acquired Collin Sexton said, via Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. “For us to have one walk-through and to go out there pretty much jelling, making the right reads, doing this together. It was super fun. At the end of the day, I know something good is coming.”

The Bulls had dropped five of six before the deadline, and management had seen enough of the play-in treadmill.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the sell-off was framed internally as a “stage,” not a full teardown, with more decisive moves expected this summer.

The long-term vision centers on second-year forward Matas Buzelis, who the organization views as a foundational piece. Head coach Billy Donovan said the deadline gave Buzelis a real introduction to how the league works.

“He got a taste of this league as a business,” Donovan said, adding that Buzelis was still processing the week.

“It’s tough,” Buzelis admitted. “You lose your brothers. But I’m happy to see these guys here. I think we can make it work. Those relationships don’t go away.”