Chicago Bulls should keep focus on a playoff push in 2021

Just a few games away from the midway point in the season, many are wondering what the Chicago Bulls plan to do at the trade deadline.

At 14-16, the Bulls are currently sitting in the 9th seed in the Eastern Conference. They are only one game back of the Charlotte Hornets in the 8th seed. But, even more shockingly, they are just two games away from the Indiana Pacers and the 4th seed.

The Eastern Conference is wide open, still. Even the Washington Wizards, who have won four in a row and have a record of 10-7, are not even close to out of it.

So, what does that tell you about the Bulls and how they should operate going forward?

Chicago has a lot going for them at this stage. The fresh perspective and leadership of Billy Donovan has been a Godsend for this young team. They’re bought in and competing hard.

Zach LaVine is on a tear, putting up one of the best seasons we’ve seen in the history of the Bulls. He’s leading this team night-in and night-out, and they’re behind him every step of the way.

So, should the Chicago Bulls be active around the trade deadline?

Some might say they should be, and for the sole purpose of making the playoffs. Others say that, because they aren’t going to compete for a title, they should be sellers and acquire assets for the future.

Quite honestly, the Bulls should sit tight. While it might make some sense to trade Thaddeus Young for a first rounder or any other useful piece, he’s done more for this team than anyone could have anticipated.

Young has totally reversed his thought process from a year ago, and all it took was the team finally firing Jim Boylen and bringing in the right man for the job in Donovan. Young is playing arguably the best basketball of his career, and has become one of the team’s best players. Not only that, but he’s become the glue that holds a lot of these young guys together.

He’s a mentor and someone these guys are looking at for direction, wisdom, etc. The way Young has impacted this team over the course of this season is too valuable to trade away now, especially when they’re so close to a playoff spot.

Lauri Markkanen is another name we’ve heard mentioned in trade rumors, but he’s been out for a little while due to a shoulder injury.

Speaking of injuries, this team truly has not been completely healthy all season long. They have not been able to take the court together, all of them healthy, at all this year. Once Markkanen is back and now that Wendell Carter is healthy again, this team could be even more fun to watch.

Otto Porter is another guy still out with injury as well, and he could end up being a huge asset off the bench like he was early in the season.

There’s too much potential here to blow it up at the deadline. The continuity and momentum they could end up building is worth more than, say, a late first-round pick for either Young or Markkanen.

What Donovan has been able to do in his first year has been impressive. Fans can tell that these guys are in a completely different headspace than a year ago, and they’re competing at a higher level simply because of Donovan’s presence.

Don’t sell. Don’t buy. Sit tight and continue building on what’s been happening. The Bulls should push for the playoffs, and if they get in, that’s a success in and of itself for this season.