The Chicago Bulls won just 22 games this past season, marking their worst finish since 2002, but there are reasons to be optimistic about the Bulls moving forward.
The much-maligned Chicago front office has actually done a solid job of assembling an impressive group of young talent, as the tandem of Wendell Carter Jr. and Lauri Markkanen is an enviable young frontcourt and Zach LaVine is actually living up to his contract thus far.
The Bulls also added to their stable of backcourt talent in the draft, selecting University of North Carolina guard Coby White in the first round.
As for their activity on the free-agent market? Chicago made a couple of mid-tier moves, signing Thaddeus Young and swinging a trade for Tomas Satoransky.
So, here are the three biggest takeaways from the Bulls' offseason:
3. They Didn't Do Anything Silly
There was some talk that the Bulls could potentially move the seventh overall pick plus other stuff for a proven veteran like Mike Conley, and that would have been very silly.
Chicago is not even remotely close to being ready to contend, so its main goal right now should be to pile up as much young talent as possible while maintaining financial flexibility moving forward.
Taking a shortcut by trading for a guy like Conley, who was not going to help the Bulls win at this point, would have been a terrible move that surely would have drawn the ire of some Chicago fans who have long had enough of John Paxson and Gar Forman.
Fortunately, the Bulls did not do that and stayed the course.
2. They're Probably Going to Trade Kris Dunn
By drafting White and acquiring Satoransky, the writing is pretty much on the wall for Kris Dunn.
Dunn has actually been decent since joining the Bulls during the summer of 2017, but his issue is that he has been unable to stay healthy, and while his efficiency has improved, it still leaves much to be desired.
Chances are, Chicago will move him at some point between now and the regular season, and given that he is still just 25 years old and is a really good defender, he will surely draw some interest around the league.
Does he have a ton of value? Probably not, but the Bulls should have no problem finding a new home for him.
1. They Actually Have a Direction
The biggest complaint Bulls fans have made about the front office in recent years was the lack of direction and self-awareness, as Chicago kept trying to put bandages on mortal wounds.
It was clear several years ago that the Bulls needed to rebuild, and they may have waited a bit too long to tear it down, but at least now, they seem to understand what they're doing and have a plan.
As a matter of fact, Chicago now has one of the brightest futures in the league, as it has young talent at every position, and the pieces seem to fit pretty well.
The best part about this Bulls squad is undoubtedly the frontcourt duo of Carter and Markkanen, a tandem that may end up terrorizing opposing frontlines in the future.
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