The recent moves or non-moves of the Chicago Bulls have baffled fans and experts

The Chicago Bulls have walked down this road before last season, where they stood pat at the trade deadline and competed for a postseason berth via the Play-in Tournament. This season, with a chance to mold their future in the offing, the Bulls decision-makers again sat on their hands, opting not to make any major moves at the trading deadline.

This led Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz to call the franchise’s recent moves nothing short of “insane.”

What do the Bulls expect now?

The Bulls have seen this movie before. Last season, they were in a similar position, fighting for a spot in the Play-in Tournament. They ended up finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference and missing out on the playoffs altogether.

This year, fans were hoping that the Bulls would make moves at the trade deadline to solidify their roster and put them in a better position to compete for a playoff spot in future seasons.

After all, they had DeMar DeRozan and Andre Drummond—both of whom will be unrestricted free agents this offseason—to shop around for potential assets. But instead, the Bulls stood pat and made no significant moves at the deadline. This has left fans and analysts alike confused and questioning the team’s direction.

“It's been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,” Swartz wrote.

“If this is true, the Chicago Bulls are very much insane.”

Gimme the hot sauce, Coby! 🥵@NBCSChicago | @CobyWhite pic.twitter.com/a6NQjbRPBs
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 23, 2024

The worst possible outcome

In the weeks and days leading to the deadline, speculation was ripe about what possible moves the Bulls could make. Aside from DeRozan and Drummond, interest was high on defensive guard Alex Caruso, who could have fetched numerous draft picks were he moved to another team. However, fans were crushed when the worst possible scenario became reality.

“Sitting pat at the trade deadline without buying or selling was the worst thing this franchise could have done. After finishing two games below .500 last season (40-42), the Bulls are on near-identical path (currently 26-29) while playing mostly the same core,” Swartz explained.

“A play-in tournament loss is now the best realistic outcome for a team that should have traded off some of its veterans, stocking up on draft picks in what will become an inevitable rebuild. Chicago could well lose DeMar DeRozan in free agency to the Philadelphia 76ers or another contender when it probably should have traded him (and others) all along.”

Deebo ties the game to erase an early 16-point deficit.@NBCSChicago | @DeMar_DeRozan pic.twitter.com/SAzxhJ1VxQ
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 23, 2024

What do the Bulls expect now?

The worst possible outcome

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