The Chicago Bulls have a big offseason ahead of them as they just finished up another mediocre season. The Bulls finished the regular season with a 39-43 record and they made it into the play-in tournament as the nine seed. They beat the Atlanta Hawks, then got eliminated by the Miami Heat. Chicago fans were left disappointed at the conclusion of the season once again, and they are ready for change. This is a big offseason, and it starts with the NBA Draft.
We are just a few weeks away from the NBA Draft as it will get going on June 26th. The Bulls currently have the 11th overall pick, but there has been some chatter about them potentially trading up to get a higher pick.
If the Bulls do trade up, a player to watch is Matas Buzelis. The Bulls are his hometown team, and he is the #5 player in Jonathan Givony's top 100 prospects list. Buzelis is Lithuanian, just like Bulls VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas. Chicago reportedly also privately saw Buzelis workout recently.
“Buzelis will work out for almost every team in the top five, sources say, as many around the NBA are intrigued by the idea of an explosive 6-10 wing who has playmaking ability, defensive versatility and flashes of shot-making prowess,” Jonathan Givony wrote for ESPN. “The fact he doesn't need the ball in his hands to be successful but has significant upside to grow into at 19 years old with a developing frame, could be attractive for teams. Sources say Buzelis' hometown team, the Chicago Bulls, watched him work out privately in Los Angeles early in the pre-draft process. Chicago has shown a willingness to explore moving up in the draft for the right price. The Bulls' Lithuanian president, Arturas Karnisovas, has extensive knowledge of Buzelis, who is also Lithuanian.”
If the Bulls trade up, it sounds like Matas Buzelis could be their guy.
The Bulls have to make some moves this offseason
The Bulls have been quiet in recent years in terms of trades and other big moves, but Arturas Karnisovas noted in his end-of-season press conference that changes are coming. He knows that something isn't working and he said that he there would be changes made this offseason, but Bulls fans will believe it when they see it.
“I've said numerous times today: This group, something doesn't work,” Arturas Karnisovas said, via KC Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “I have to find ways to find a group that's going to make improvements. We've done it for a couple years now and it hasn't worked. Everything is on the table. … I am going to look at totality of the group. This group hasn't worked. There's a lot of great things in certain individual players and a lot of young guys who took a step forward and it's positive. But in totality as a group, it didn't work. So I'm going to have to find these answers in offseason.”
Trading up to go after a better prospect would be a good sign for Bulls fans. It is clear to Karnisovas that something isn't working, he said it himself. However, changes haven't been made in the past, so it's reasonable for Bulls fans to be skeptical. Trading up in the NBA Draft would be a good sign and could be a good indicator for the mindset that Chicago has in terms of approaching this offseason.
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