The Chicago Bulls have been a laughing stock in the eyes of national media and basketball fans for the better part of the past decade. While never the outright dregs of the NBA, they’ve been a complete afterthought. Nobody takes them seriously because they’ve been content to stay mediocre. They haven’t had any star power to speak of since Jimmy Butler left, and it finally caught up to them this season. Arturas Karnisovas and Billy Donovan are out. Bryson Graham is in as the new VP of Basketball Operations. The search for a new head coach has begun.
All the while, it’s unclear what the public perception is of the Bulls at this point. Most in the media see them as a rebuilding team that won’t be relevant for the next couple of years. One would think that’d make them a place other NBA players prefer to avoid. Well, not according to a new poll from The Athletic. Players were asked which teams in the league they would not want to get traded to. The Memphis Grizzlies were far and away #1, with Washington and Sacramento taking 2nd and 3rd. The most interesting part? Chicago wasn’t even listed.
- Memphis — 35.8%
- Washington — 11.7%
- Sacramento — 10.8%
- New Orleans — 6.7%
- Brooklyn — 5%
- Utah — 5%
- Charlotte — 4.2%
- Portland — 4.2%
- New York — 3.3%
- Detroit — 2.5%
- Indiana — 2.5%
- Milwaukee — 1.7%
- LA Lakers — 1.7%
The Chicago Bulls seem to have fixed one of their problem.
For years, even when they were good in the 2010s, it felt like players and agents were wary of the organization. This likely stemmed from the ongoing toxic atmosphere inside the building fostered by former general manager Gar Forman, president John Paxson, and later head coach Jim Boylen. It was an absolute circus at times. You heard all the stories about agents steering their clients away whenever possible. It was humiliating to hear that about what had been such a premier organization.
However, the past few years have softened the stance on the Bulls. While Arturas Karnisovas may not have been any good as a top executive, he and head coach Billy Donovan seem to have at least brought some class back to the franchise. That is a great thing for Graham. While he is unlikely to make any blockbuster trades in the near future, this survey offers a window into what NBA players think about Chicago. If the situation is right, the Bulls can land some unexpectedly good talent.
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It isn’t difficult to see into the future.
If Graham can begin constructing a proper foundation for the Chicago Bulls with this upcoming draft, he will set things in motion that can pay off huge down the line. We’ve all seen the blueprint. Drafting some good players to fuel the rebuild. Let them grow for a couple of seasons. Once they hopefully start blossoming, you can make a big trade to bring in a prominent veteran as a final piece to the puzzle. The Bulls almost pulled it off in 2011 with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, and again in 2014 with Carmelo Anthony. Both times, they barely missed out.
Such a strategy builds champions. The problem is that it’s not possible if players actively try to avoid you when they’re looking for a new home. This revelation from The Athletic offers real hope that the Bulls can once again become a destination franchise. They should be. Chicago is a basketball city and one of the largest media markets in the world. Even after the Michael Jordan era, it should’ve been a place top players wanted to go. Finally, it can be again.
