Wait, Could the Chicago Bulls Actually Buy at the Trade Deadline?

Year after year, the Chicago Bulls have dodged spring cleaning. While they might get rid of a few shirts here and there, the pile of old mail continues to stack up in the office. How many credit card applications does one man need!?

Everyone around the Bulls can point out what – or rather who – they can part ways with. No one is saying it shouldn't be a tedious process, but a deep clean is undoubtedly in the Bulls' best interest. They have seven players set to hit free agency in the coming months while sitting in the thick of the Play-In tournament picture for the fourth-straight year. They are up to their knees in mediocrity at the United Center.

At the end of the day, this is why many are advocating a full-blown sell-off come the February trade deadline. The hope is that the Bulls finally get over the hump and stop stockpiling their players until they lose all value. To be sure, plenty of recent rumors suggest that this hope will turn into a reality, but there is also one insider who suggested the Bulls could go in a different direction.

Could the Chicago Bulls Be Buyers at the Trade Deadline?

Anthony Davis of the Dallas Mavericks playing the Chicago Bulls — Mar 29, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (9) defends Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

In a recent livestream for Bleacher Report, Jake Fischer spoke at length about the Chicago Bulls. Trying to answer whether or not they could become one of the league's top sellers by February 5, he proceeded to open an entirely different can of worms:

"For Chicago, I think the Bulls it's interesting, I think the more they were to lose games coming up, I could actually see them being more inclined to buy. The Bulls are so interestingly positioned where they have roughly $50 million in expiring contracts to go make any kind of move that they wanted to. If they wanted to go get involved in the Anthony Davis sweepstakes, they could," Fischer said during the stream.

It's very important to note that Fischer isn't directly reporting that the Bulls plan to buy. It still sounds as though this is the less-likely door they walk through in the coming weeks. However, it's not nothing that someone with as much knowledge as Fischer shared that he could see a situation where the Bulls look to add a big-name player.

If one thing is for sure, they have the means to do it! This is exactly why they were connected early on to a player like Anthony Davis. Few teams in the league have full control over their future draft picks and a ton of expiring salary. Also, when has Chicago ever shown a genuine willingness to take a step back? This front office has consistently preached an anti-tanking philosophy. Selling typically means sitting out the postseason and angling for lottery odds. Many around the league will likely believe the Bulls will do that when they see it.

With that in mind, the idea of them going against their words of patience and adding an instant-impact player doesn't sound crazy. But, of course, that doesn't mean it would be the most reasonable move. Once again, many agree the Bulls should clean house. This is a team that has been running in place for years. Is taking a massive risk on someone like Anthony Davis really going to change that? What about Domantas Sabonis?

This isn't a Bulls team that is one move away, folks. Unless they are cashing in on a one-of-one superstar or have a clear-cut plan to pair someone like Davis or Sabonis with that kind of player, buying at this deadline would feel like kicking the can down the road ... again. Sometimes you have to be willing to take a step back to move forward. The Bulls started that by moving Zach LaVine and opening up loads of future flexibility. Does it really make sense to throw that all away ASAP?

Less can be more. For the Bulls to truly return to relevancy and give themselves a chance to compete for something meaningful, they have to commit to a more long-term approach. They have found something with young players like Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis, and the time is now to commit to development and asset accumulation. If you want to have a less murky future, you have to clean up first.