3 New Year's Resolutions to Help the Chicago Bulls Make the Most of 2026

While the Chicago Bulls' Arturas Karnisovas is learning guitar or forcing himself to eat more cauliflower, I have a few more New Year's resolutions for him to consider!

To be sure, on a fast track toward another Play-In Tournament appearance, the Bulls' full list of resolutions could probably wrap around the United Center. Regardless, I chose to go with three broader things the organization can do to try to make the most out of 2026.

Make Use of the Deadline

Coby White of the Chicago Bulls — Dec 21, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) controls the ball against Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bulls have talked themselves out of making moves time and again. Before finally deciding to trade Zach LaVine in 2024-25, the front office sat out four consecutive trade deadlines. They went 1,000+ days without making an in-season trade – all while insisting that competing for a playoff spot was the priority.

Did last season show fans that they are ready to turn a page and treat the deadline like the crucial part of the NBA calendar that it is? Eh, I wouldn't go that far. There was plenty of buzz about the team making even more moves and becoming full-blown sellers. Instead, they settled with the LaVine move and went headfirst toward their most embarrassing Play-In Tournament exit yet. With that in mind, I will believe this year's growing buzz around the team entering sell mode when I see it.

If one thing is for sure, however, it's that the Bulls should be far more willing to embrace the trade deadline moving forward. Free agency is not what it once was. Trades have become the primary way to shake things up and add meaningful assets, whether it be directly to the roster or to the draft board. The Bulls have only isolated themselves from the rest of the league and set themselves further back in the East by refusing to do business during this time of year. They are in an excellent position to change the narrative this season.

With their seven expiring contracts and two highly intriguing guards, the Bulls would be silly to stay put. Is the goal really to finish 9th or 10th in the East for a fourth-straight season and then lose a bunch of talent for nothing in free agency? It shouldn't be, and it can't be if this franchise wants to return to relevancy any time soon.

Embrace the Flexibility

Arturas Karnisovas of the Chicago Bulls — Sep 30, 2024; Chicago, Il, USA; Chicago Bulls vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas speaks during Chicago Bulls Media Day. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

This resolution connects to the one above. Few teams in the NBA currently possess the flexibility that the Chicago Bulls have. Whether it be their slew of expiring contracts or the full control of their future draft picks, the Bulls have a handful of opportunities at their disposal. And they need to embrace that.

The franchise that needs to be ok with not being ok. Year after year, they stress the importance of competitive integrity and make short-sighted decisions in an effort to push for the postseason. Technically, their current roster and financial situation would allow them to make some very aggressive moves to re-enter the playoff mix. But they need to ensure those would be the right moves.

Indeed, while there may be a rush to deal some expiring contracts at the deadline, there isn't a rush to add big money to the cap sheet or trade away draft picks. Again, this level of flexibility is a very hard thing to create in the NBA, and the Bulls must use it wisely. If the right free agent signing or trade doesn't materialize, sign players to short-term contracts or open your door to teams hungry to move off players and willing to give up assets to do so. This is what many successful, retooling teams have done in the past.

At the end of the day, we just saw first-hand how stuck a franchise can get when they make the wrong move or go all-in on an unproven product. The LaVine-DeRozan-Vucevic trio made the Bulls a pricey team with limited draft capital and young talent. Chicago has to avoid going down a similar road. If the right opportunity presents itself to land a big-name star, that's one thing. However, if the difference-making move isn't obvious, continue to invest in developing players and keep your options open.

Take the Training Wheels of Matas Buzelis

Matas Buzelis of the Chicago Bulls — Dec 31, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis (14) dunks against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

How is Matas Buzelis going to learn to drive if he isn't handed the car key?

To be clear, the forward has been in the starting lineup all season long and has seen his workload increase slightly over the last couple of weeks. However, there is no question that his 2025-26 season has been underwhelming thus far, but the turn of the calendar presents the perfect opportunity to change that.

The moment Coby White and Josh Giddey went down to end 2025 is the same moment Billy Donovan's approach with Buzelis should have changed. The head coach has continued to keep a tight leash on the 21-year-old this season, limiting him to only 27.3 minutes a night so far. In fact, Buzelis has failed to reach his season average in minutes in eight of the Bulls' last 11 games. The longer the season has gone on, the quicker Donovan has been to pull him out of games.

Yes, we can all agree that he is a young player who is still prone to making some mistakes. Pulling him from games is at least one way to help show him what works and what doesn't. But isn't there something to be said about playing through mistakes?

Most teams in similarly middling situations would let a player with Buzelis' sheer upside run free. They would be putting the ball in his hands more and encouraging him to grow as a leader and initiator. The good news is they have started to do that a little more in recent games, with him clocking even more minutes at small forward. However, there is no question that they can encourage him to do even more, especially with two of their top ball-handlers now out for multiple weeks.

At the end of the day, Buzelis projects to be a massive part of the Bulls' future. He is the closest thing they have to a true two-way star, and I think it's ok to treat him like it.