RealGM

I really only see two intriguing approaches:

1. Liquidate talent, pick very high in 2025, and rise up from there.
- Trade Lavine, Caruso, Derozan. Eat bad contracts coming back if needed to ensure we actually get some real value.
- Build team around our young players.
- We'll be near the bottom of the league, but hopefully we land a core piece in the 2025 draft
- Potentially spend big in FA next offseason (Isaac, Lauri).

2. Trae Young
- If Hawks move off Trae, I think he's worth considering.
- Has warts but it's not really a talent issue.
- Build best offense around Trae Young as a centerpiece.

What's interesting is that I think for both a new coach/voice in the locker room seems essential. Donovan is stale and gives us no edge.

I would try to go all in and get Zion Williamson. Sign and trade demar and lavine and 2 first for Zion and one of their contracts like CJ or Ingram.
Sounds ridiculous, but as you could just see, there's undeniable talent and game breaking ability in Zion, it only needs to get unlock once or twice in future 7+ years for a strong playoff run. Backcourt of Coby and Ayo seems good enough in shooting, defense and playmaking to compliment him. Keep Drummond and look to exchange vuc for different center in near future.
Pat and dalen and caruso provide enough defense to support this rotation. Just need some 3pt shooters off bench.
Pg Coby, lonzo, carter/ draft pick
Sg Ayo, Caruso/dalen/ CJ if in trade
Sf pat/Ingram if in trade/dalen
Pf Zion/ whatever draft pick or javontes
C vuc but get him the eff out, prefer Drummond/ draft pick

This also balances it, so scoring comes efficiently both from front court and backcourt and so no need for vuc and his mediocre volume and efficiency, no need for him at all, can get slowly phased out and traded. Center should be in this rotation like Drummond or lively/ gafford type

After lonzo, Craig, carter, vuc is not on cap, there's room to get a all star FA to load up a playoff run or before have to pay Coby, Ayo more in future

I'd talk to the Warriors. They want to win now as Steph's career winds down. Bulls have 3-4 players that would help them- esp. Derozan. But also Vuc, Lavine, maybe Ball. Try to get Kuminga, plus someone to make salaries match, like Wiggins or Paul. T hat would give them another good young piece to go with Ayo and Coby.

TheSuzerain wrote:I really only see two intriguing approaches:

1. Liquidate talent, pick very high in 2025, and rise up from there.
- Trade Lavine, Caruso, Derozan. Eat bad contracts coming back if needed to ensure we actually get some real value.
- Build team around our young players.
- We'll be near the bottom of the league, but hopefully we land a core piece in the 2025 draft
- Potentially spend big in FA next offseason (Isaac, Lauri).

2. Trae Young
- If Hawks move off Trae, I think he's worth considering.
- Has warts but it's not really a talent issue.
- Build best offense around Trae Young as a centerpiece.

What's interesting is that I think for both a new coach/voice in the locker room seems essential. Donovan is stale and gives us no edge.

What would a Trae trade look like? It has to include Zach otherwise the Slumsdorf's would never consider having two mega deals like that on their books. But I can't imagine the Hawks would want to take Zach and his contract on. If they'd listen to a Zach, Coby, our 1st this year for Trae type of offer I guess that would have some potential intrigue, if not just to get out from under that brutal contract into a different, slightly less brutal contract.

TheSuzerain wrote:I really only see two intriguing approaches:

1. Liquidate talent, pick very high in 2025, and rise up from there.
- Trade Lavine, Caruso, Derozan. Eat bad contracts coming back if needed to ensure we actually get some real value.
- Build team around our young players.
- We'll be near the bottom of the league, but hopefully we land a core piece in the 2025 draft
- Potentially spend big in FA next offseason (Isaac, Lauri).

2. Trae Young
- If Hawks move off Trae, I think he's worth considering.
- Has warts but it's not really a talent issue.
- Build best offense around Trae Young as a centerpiece.

What's interesting is that I think for both a new coach/voice in the locker room seems essential. Donovan is stale and gives us no edge.

This is pretty much where I'm at on all three points, I'd just extend the Trae Young talk to Zion Williamson and LaMelo Ball, especially Zion.
I think they will not do option 1. That's my #1 choice but there must be some directive from Reinsdorf to never rebuild. All the pieces we once had with trade value were either sold short on or no longer have value. We are no longer primed to effectively rebuild in terms of saleable assets or built-in talent. The process could be nearly complete if we did this after 2021-22 and had a fire sale on guys teams actually wanted, or kept Lauri around on a RFA extension instead of trading him at his absolute lowest value, but alas.

Thus, I think they try to make the best out of Zach Lavine while he's still under contract and so the only way I can see us putting together a good team is via trade. A trade that we actually win because the player wants to force his way here. Hence I mention Zion and Ball because there was a rumor they wanted to play in Chicago and because their respective teams may look to trade them. I think a proper "tear it down" rebuild is still the way to go because I don't want to hope and pray that we fleece some other team on a trade.

Kurt Heimlich wrote:

TheSuzerain wrote:I really only see two intriguing approaches:

1. Liquidate talent, pick very high in 2025, and rise up from there.
- Trade Lavine, Caruso, Derozan. Eat bad contracts coming back if needed to ensure we actually get some real value.
- Build team around our young players.
- We'll be near the bottom of the league, but hopefully we land a core piece in the 2025 draft
- Potentially spend big in FA next offseason (Isaac, Lauri).

2. Trae Young
- If Hawks move off Trae, I think he's worth considering.
- Has warts but it's not really a talent issue.
- Build best offense around Trae Young as a centerpiece.

What's interesting is that I think for both a new coach/voice in the locker room seems essential. Donovan is stale and gives us no edge.

What would a Trae trade look like? It has to include Zach otherwise the Slumsdorf's would never consider having two mega deals like that on their books. But I can't imagine the Hawks would want to take Zach and his contract on. If they'd listen to a Zach, Coby, our 1st this year for Trae type of offer I guess that would have some potential intrigue, if not just to get out from under that brutal contract into a different, slightly less brutal contract.

Zach, Coby, Pwill, Caruso seem to be our positive assets.

Not sure what that deal looks like though.

I just think you can organize a top 5 offense around Trae. Can't do that around any of our guys.

TheSuzerain wrote:

Kurt Heimlich wrote:

TheSuzerain wrote:I really only see two intriguing approaches:

1. Liquidate talent, pick very high in 2025, and rise up from there.
- Trade Lavine, Caruso, Derozan. Eat bad contracts coming back if needed to ensure we actually get some real value.
- Build team around our young players.
- We'll be near the bottom of the league, but hopefully we land a core piece in the 2025 draft
- Potentially spend big in FA next offseason (Isaac, Lauri).

2. Trae Young
- If Hawks move off Trae, I think he's worth considering.
- Has warts but it's not really a talent issue.
- Build best offense around Trae Young as a centerpiece.

What's interesting is that I think for both a new coach/voice in the locker room seems essential. Donovan is stale and gives us no edge.

What would a Trae trade look like? It has to include Zach otherwise the Slumsdorf's would never consider having two mega deals like that on their books. But I can't imagine the Hawks would want to take Zach and his contract on. If they'd listen to a Zach, Coby, our 1st this year for Trae type of offer I guess that would have some potential intrigue, if not just to get out from under that brutal contract into a different, slightly less brutal contract.

Zach, Coby, Pwill, Caruso seem to be our positive assets.

Not sure what that deal looks like though.

I just think you can organize a top 5 offense around Trae. Can't do that around any of our guys.

Coby and Caruso I definitely agree.

Pat is an RFA, right? And, well, I think he really sucks lol. But I'm a Pwill hater at this point so maybe he'll shock the world and not be an injury prone Tony Snell given some more time. If we can get a Coby like deal on him then I'm down in that low risk with upside kind of deal.

Zach's contract is one of the worst in the league though, right? I'm as disconnected from the NBA as I have ever been since I was like 7 and I guess there's probably some other real ugly deal's out there. And honestly Trae's deal could be in the same neighborhood as Zach's , that's a big ugly contract too.

DuckIII wrote:

MrSparkle wrote:Dog, here’s what’s gonna happen:

Bulls draft some guy we never heard of at #11, say he’s gonna contribute immediately, but he’s going to play 214 minutes for Billy next season.

They resign Demar for 130/3 and call it a win.

They let Drummond, Craig and Pat walk, or Pat takes the QO.

Javonte is our 2nd major resign ($2m).

They say Lonzo and Zach returning healthy are their real free agent pickups.

That is waaaaaaaaaay more of a plausible outcome than it should be.

I think it’s possible we do all of that but also trade Zach for some basic package (like a sign and trade or a young player and a first.)

Build around damar

LateNight wrote:

DuckIII wrote:

MrSparkle wrote:Dog, here’s what’s gonna happen:

Bulls draft some guy we never heard of at #11, say he’s gonna contribute immediately, but he’s going to play 214 minutes for Billy next season.

They resign Demar for 130/3 and call it a win.

They let Drummond, Craig and Pat walk, or Pat takes the QO.

Javonte is our 2nd major resign ($2m).

They say Lonzo and Zach returning healthy are their real free agent pickups.

That is waaaaaaaaaay more of a plausible outcome than it should be.

I think it’s possible we do all of that but also trade Zach for some basic package (like a sign and trade or a young player and a first.)

at this stage, zach is a negative asset; why would any team take on an oft-injured inefficient scorer making 30% of the salary cap? Not trading Zach years ago was a bad idea, re-signing him was a worse idea. I'm just not sure why any team would value Lavine beyond "salary taken on in a trade for a prospect or picks"

lavine is a salary dump at this point. let's hope and pray they don't re-sign Pat and turn him into a team-killer contract who contributes nothing.

Trade Zach Carter vuc & potentially Alex Caruso resign demar & pay for reasonable price tags sign some big pf that’s 6’9 and up also bring back Javonte green on a 2/3 year deal

I love it. AKME are in the position where they can no longer sit back and do nothing.

Personally, I would look to salary dump Lavine, sign and trade DDR, cash in Caruso for draft assets, and hold my nose in terms of Vucevic. It's time for a youth movement, and missing out on our 2025 draft pick would be a disaster.

I think they resign Demar before he becomes a free agent. The Bulls top priority will be trading Zach which they won't be able to do until the summer. I think they'll try to get a big or wing in the draft. If they can trade Zach, they'll resign Pat. If they can't... Pat will come back as a restricted free agent imo. His injury history makes it too big a risk. Plus Stacey was gassing him up so much in the last game, I think the plan is to bring them back.

The Bulls will point to Coby, Ayo, Terry as their improving guards. Derozan as their steady star. PWill is AKs chip. He can't give up on him. Bittm, Phillips and draft pick are young guys with promise. Vuc is the steady vet.

Continuity is king.

For me, it's hard to understand how some people believe that there's even a 0.5% chance the Bulls aren't going to re-sign DeMar.

Of course they're doing that. 100%.

Andi Obst wrote:For me, it's hard to understand how some people believe that there's even a 0.5% chance the Bulls aren't going to re-sign DeMar.

Of course they're doing that. 100%.

Its probably already done.

An all-in now deal to nab Kuminga, who I think is on the brink of stardom.

A dual deal like Vuc/Caruso for Wiggins/Kuminga coupled with a S&T of Demar for CP3. We'd be taking back crappy salaries, but IMO it brings in a young star player. I'd be willing to throw in the POR 1st to move on.

Alternatively a deal like Zach/Caruso for Paul/Looney/Kuminga/filler could work as well.

Sell high on White, please.

TheSuzerain wrote:

Kurt Heimlich wrote:

TheSuzerain wrote:I really only see two intriguing approaches:

1. Liquidate talent, pick very high in 2025, and rise up from there.
- Trade Lavine, Caruso, Derozan. Eat bad contracts coming back if needed to ensure we actually get some real value.
- Build team around our young players.
- We'll be near the bottom of the league, but hopefully we land a core piece in the 2025 draft
- Potentially spend big in FA next offseason (Isaac, Lauri).

2. Trae Young
- If Hawks move off Trae, I think he's worth considering.
- Has warts but it's not really a talent issue.
- Build best offense around Trae Young as a centerpiece.

What's interesting is that I think for both a new coach/voice in the locker room seems essential. Donovan is stale and gives us no edge.

What would a Trae trade look like? It has to include Zach otherwise the Slumsdorf's would never consider having two mega deals like that on their books. But I can't imagine the Hawks would want to take Zach and his contract on. If they'd listen to a Zach, Coby, our 1st this year for Trae type of offer I guess that would have some potential intrigue, if not just to get out from under that brutal contract into a different, slightly less brutal contract.

Zach, Coby, Pwill, Caruso seem to be our positive assets.

Not sure what that deal looks like though.

I just think you can organize a top 5 offense around Trae. Can't do that around any of our guys.

The problem is how hard it would be to organize anything other than a bottom 5 defense around Trae. He has severe talent/ability deficiency on defense. Very hard pass on him for me.

I can not believe there are multiple people in this thread that want to trade Coby. He and Ayo are our only hope for the future. We should simply invest all of our efforts in medical technology to stretch javonte green to 6’9. Thats really all this team needs.

League Circles wrote:

TheSuzerain wrote:

Kurt Heimlich wrote:
What would a Trae trade look like? It has to include Zach otherwise the Slumsdorf's would never consider having two mega deals like that on their books. But I can't imagine the Hawks would want to take Zach and his contract on. If they'd listen to a Zach, Coby, our 1st this year for Trae type of offer I guess that would have some potential intrigue, if not just to get out from under that brutal contract into a different, slightly less brutal contract.

Zach, Coby, Pwill, Caruso seem to be our positive assets.

Not sure what that deal looks like though.

I just think you can organize a top 5 offense around Trae. Can't do that around any of our guys.

The problem is how hard it would be to organize anything other than a bottom 5 defense around Trae. He has severe talent/ability deficiency on defense. Very hard pass on him for me.

Hawks have put together some mediocre defenses around him.

But yeah you'd definitely be offense first.

The Top 11 offenses this year all had a Net Rating of +2 or higher. So I think there's merit to that as a "plan".