Bulls trying to avoid middle ground as offseason approaches

The Bulls don’t want to be stuck in the middle. They’ve been there long enough.

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the biggest question facing Chicago this offseason is whether it can finally break out of that cycle, or risk falling right back into it.

The Bulls took a big swing at the deadline. They made seven trades, reshaped parts of the roster and stockpiled assets, including multiple second-round picks and former first-rounders like Rob Dillingham and Jaden Ivey.

Now comes the follow-up.

“We’ve maintained substantial flexibility heading into the offseason,” executive VP Arturas Karnisovas said. “That gives us real options.”

He’s not wrong. Chicago could have as much as $60-plus million in cap space, depending on how it handles its own free agents, along with a likely top-10 pick.

That’s real flexibility. The issue? What they do with it.

“Being in the middle,” Karnisovas said. “That is what we don’t want to do.”

It’s a familiar spot. The Bulls have picked in the lottery five times since 2020 and haven’t selected higher than No. 11.

So the message is clear now. Make a move forward. Or risk staying exactly where they’ve been.