The Chicago Bulls Are Tanking Whether They Like It Or Not

The previous two games might as well sum up the current state of the Chicago Bulls organization.

On Thursday night, the team tipped off a five-game Western Conference road trip against the presumably playoff-bound Phoenix Suns. While they would have gone into the game as the underdog regardless, it sure didn't help that the Bulls were down six contributors. Anfernee Simons and Jaden Ivey remained sidelined, while Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey, Patrick Williams, and Jalen Smith were all ruled out with varying injuries.

What felt like almost a guaranteed loss turned into a stunning win. Not only did the Bulls never lose the lead, but they scored 68 points in the paint and forced the Suns to shoot below 40 percent from the field. Did the win feel counterintuitive? Absolutely, specifically from a lottery-odds standpoint. But you had to tip your cap to the ragtag rotation, who rightfully aren't concerned about where the ping pong balls fall.

Fast forward to Sunday night, and the Bulls would now face the NBA's single-worst team. This is ultimately why the Suns' win felt particularly impactful. The Bulls now had a chance to win two straight for the first time since January and creep closer to the 11th-seeded Milwaukee Bucks.

Sacramento even lent Chicago a helping hand, ruling out leading scorer DeMar DeRozan with an illness. Meanwhile, the Bulls were welcoming back Buzelis, Giddey, Williams, and Smith. The former two have served as their new primary offensive weapons, while the latter two added some much-needed size to the frontcourt. This was truly the Bulls' game to lose.

So, right on cue, they lost.

Chicago Bulls Sacramento Kings — Mar 8, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Nique Clifford (5) rebounds the ball against the Chicago Bulls during the third quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

One contest after handling the 35-win Suns, the Bulls looked lost against the 14-win Kings. They allowed Sacramento to match their paint dominance from the previous game, outscoring them 68-36 in that area of the floor. Rookie Maxime Raynaud dropped 26 points and 11 rebounds with ease. Malik Monk torched Chicago off the dribble, recording 30 points off the bench for a +16 night. Sacramento won 126-110, which tied their largest margin of victory this season.

To recap: The Bulls beat Devin Booker's playoff-level Suns without four of their longest-tenured players, only to lose to the 14-win Kings by double-digits with those players back. Is there anything more Bulls than that?

From a tanking perspective, it's a sigh of relief and essentially rights the wrongs of the Phoenix win. From a purely basketball perspective, however, it continues a mind-boggling trend for Billy Donovan's teams. We discussed a couple of weeks back how the Bulls have continually fought hard against playoff-caliber teams but have rarely shown up against the league's worst. This latest Kings loss moves them to a mere 4-8 against squads that have fewer than 20 wins this season.

vs. Pacers: 0-3
vs. Nets: 1-3
vs. Jazz: 1-1
vs. Kings: 1-1
vs. Wizards: 1-0

Keep in mind, the Bulls have been trying to win all season long. Even if the front office accepted its fate at this latest trade deadline, the coaching staff has continued to preach a winning mindset. Donovan has even leaned on veterans as opposed to feeding developmental minutes to additions like Rob Dillingham and Leonard Miller. In fact, the latter was removed entirely from the lineup against the Kings despite his solid play the previous week.

To be clear, this is not a specific call-out of Donovan. He can only coach the players in front of him, and the roster construction has been a problem for years. Instead, it's simply another example of the Bulls' confusing optics.

They are a team that has continued to hold itself to a higher standard than those willingly tanking and swimming at the bottom of the barrel. Yet, those are the exact teams that continue to give them the most trouble! In other words, despite what they may be telling themselves, they are not any closer to competing for something meaningful than organizations like the Nets or Jazz.

The Chicago Bulls are tanking whether they recognize it or not. When might that finally change? It's simple: When losses like the one on Sunday night finally stop happening.

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