Chicago Bulls: How committed are they to each starter?

With the offseason in full swing, the Chicago Bulls have been among a few trade rumors already.

I can’t be the only one thrilled to see the Los Angeles Lakers trade rumors settle down after acquiring Anthony Davis last week. For a little while, the Chicago Bulls were involved as a potential third team in the deal and, despite what possibilities we’ve discussed here, I was never a huge fan of dealing Zach LaVine for Lonzo Ball (among a first-round swap).

Davis is a Laker and the Pelicans are rich with youth and draft picks. The Bulls, meanwhile, stood still. That may have been the best move overall, though. To simply stand pat with the core intact should benefit the Bulls going forward. All they need to do is fix that point guard spot — we’ll get to that later.

With the 2019 NBA Draft just days away and the free agency frenzy to follow in the coming weeks, the Bulls’ front office has some clarifying to do. Last week, fans saw a report come out via The Athletic which essentially said the league felt the Bulls were ready to trade anybody on the roster not named Lauri Markkanen or Wendell Carter Jr.

So, where do John Paxson and Gar Forman stand on each of their young players? Specifically, let’s talk about the starting five: Carter, Markkanen, Otto Porter Jr., LaVine, and Kris Dunn.

The Bulls, as a franchise, have lacked transparency from the front office. A clear plan for the future hasn’t exactly been laid out for fans to acknowledge and believe in. Which players, exactly, are staying for the long haul?

Which of the starters is the front office committed to, and where is that level of commitment? There is a reason Chicago isn’t a premier free agent destination, after all, right? Let’s do a dive into each one of the five starters and see if we can figure out the commitment level of GarPax.