The Chicago Bulls entered the All-Star break on a six-game losing streak, dropping them to 26-33 and out of the play-in tournament picture. The Bulls' struggles have had many fans calling for the team to focus more on draft position the rest of the season, especially because they owe the Orlando Magic a top-four protected pick this year and maximizing the chances of keeping that pick would make some sense.
However, Chicago went out and signed Patrick Beverley over the break and immediately inserted him into the starting lineup. With Billy Donovan also going with Alex Caruso with the starters alongside Beverley, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, it's very clear the organization is going to go all out for a spot in the play-in tournament. The Bulls promptly smoked the Brooklyn Nets by 44 points with the new-looking starting lineup as youngsters Patrick Williams and Ayo Dosunmu moved to the bench.
Ahead of Sunday's game against the Washington Wizards, Donovan was asked about this whole dynamic. The Bulls head coach gave a lengthy answer about why the goal will be to push for the postseason, highlighting the “integrity of competition” and not worrying about those draft percentages:
Here’s Billy Donovan’s detailed response about whether the Bulls have ever had discussions as an organization about prioritizing their draft pick position rather than pushing for the playoffs: pic.twitter.com/ZtPgGXxZVg
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) February 26, 2023
The Bulls had an opportunity to be sellers ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline, but they instead went into the deadline with the strategy of being a buyer. Unfortunately, they didn't make a single trade, instead just opting to sign Beverley when he became available after the deadline. Chicago quickly snapped up the hometown product after Russell Westbrook's decision to join the Los Angeles Clippers became known.
The Bulls are hoping Beverley's presence will energize a locker room that seemed to be hitting rock bottom heading into the break. For at least one game against the Nets, it worked out perfectly, and Chicago has a clear path to get in the play-in tournament with some better play the rest of the way. The Bulls would be just a half-game behind the Wizards for the No. 10 seed with a win on Sunday.
Still, there's also merit to the idea of focusing on the long-term future when it's clear this team has the ceiling of a first-round exit, with plenty of work needed to even make it to the first round. For now, though, the Bulls are focused on making the playoffs.
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