Chicago Bulls Rumors: Price to get into first round has been revealed

As the rest of the basketball world gets ready for the 2023 NBA Draft, a team like the Chicago Bulls may be prepared to just, well, watch it happen.

The Bulls enter Thursday night’s draft with zero picks held; none in the first or second round due to previous trades. Those trades have helped acquire the players that currently make up this consistently-mediocre roster that will continue to go nowhere, so long as Arturas Karnisovas keeps the band together.

However, there are now reports of the Bulls attempting to get into the first round of the draft. If they were to make a move like that, it could end up signaling the start of another rebuild.

But, just what exactly would it cost for Chicago to acquire a first-round pick? The Chicago Tribune’s Julia Poe wrote that the Bulls would likely have to part with one of their most important players, DeMar DeRozan or Alex Caruso.

“The Bulls could set their sights on a pick lower in the first-round rotation,” Poe wrote. “But this would likely require trading away an attractive glue player like Alex Caruso — or even a veteran like DeMar DeRozan.”

If the Chicago Bulls traded DeMar DeRozan or Alex Caruso to move into the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft, they might as well strip it down

Look, the Bulls have some talent on this roster. But, there is not enough talent — or leadership, for that matter — to make a serious playoff run. If the Bulls moved a player to snag a first-round pick, that would mean that they are going to either retool or rebuild.

If Karnisovas and company want to retool around Zach LaVine, that’s the wrong move. In fact, if they moved one of Caruso or DeRozan, they should also do whatever they can to move that LaVine contract.

The Bulls are in no man’s land, to be frank. They are not where they want to be, and if the majority of this roster sticks together going forward, they will continue to sink slowly while climbing back to stay afloat, albeit for a moment, before sinking once more.

Chicago is in a difficult position, and most fans understand the reality. It’s the front office that might be ignoring the facts. If the Bulls bring back Nikola Vucevic on a multi-year deal, as it’s been rumored, then we can all get ready for more of the same.

A Vucevic extension and trade into the first round of the draft seem to be opposite moves. What exactly are the Bulls envisioning for the near future, as well as the long run? We’ll find out, soon enough.