Bulls Gut Their Roster With 6 More Trades In Sudden Attempt At Change

GOOD MORNING, CHICAGO FANS

What a lopsided Super Bowl last night! Confirmation that Caleb Williams/Ben Johnson/Luther Burden was a better trio to bank on than Drake Maye/Mike Vrabel/TreVeyon Henderson.

Meanwhile, the Bulls are doing Bulls things and making insignificant changes that don’t actually change anything. It’s a whole new squad!!!

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

W - BLACKHAWKS 6 SHARKS 3

27 POWER PLAYS

• Connor Bedard scored in his 3rd straight game to break the Hawks’ 0-for-26 power play streak without a goal

• Ryan Donato (2g/2a) and Ilya Mikheyev (1g/3a) each had their 2nd career 4-point game

• Yaroslav Askarov was replaced after allowing 4 goals in 10 shots

L - BLUE JACKETS 4 BLACKHAWKS 0

OFF A CLIFFHANGER

• Hawks were shutout for the 4th time this season in their last game before break

• Zach Werenski’s 1st period goal bounced off of 2 Hawks players before getting past Spencer Knight

• Wyatt Kaiser left with a leg injury and may miss some time

STAR OF THE WEEK ⭐ Ryan Donato

2 goals and 2 assists (4 points) on 3 shots

PLAY OF THE WEEK 🎥 Ryan Donato goal

Turns out the Florida Panthers’ 1st round pick in the upcoming NHL Draft, which the Blackhawks own due to the Seth Jones trade, is Top 10 Protected. The Panthers currently sit at #10.

At the break, the Hawks are 10 points back in the Wild Card race and 6th in best draft odds

SCHEDULE 📅 OLYMPICS BREAK UNTIL 2/26

CHICAGO BULLS

L - BUCKS 131 BULLS 115

HUG WATCH

• Bulls had 9 playable players thanks to pending trades and injuries, and they had no answers on defense

• Matas Buzelis (22p) is the first player in franchise history to make 5 3PTs and have 5 blocks in a single game

• Coby White had a double-double (21p/10r) in his final game as a Bull

L - RAPTORS 123 BULLS 107

THE MISFIT EXPIRING CONTRACTS

• A few new Bulls ushered in the new era with exciting offense and non-existing defense…we’ve seen that before

• Anfernee Simons (22p), Jaden Ivey (13p), and Guerschon Yabusele (15p/11r) all had a very good Bulls debut

• Raptors shot 56%/41%/85% from the field and pulled away with easy buckets in the 4th quarter

L - NUGGETS 136 BULLS 120

DEBUT PART 2

• Rob Dillingham (9p/4a), Nick Richards (15p/7r), and Collin Sexton (17p/4a) all had big games in their Bulls debuts

• Nuggets outscored the Bulls 39-16 in an ugly 4th quarter

• 7 Bulls scored in double figures as they stuck to perimeter scoring (51 3PT attempts)

STAR OF THE WEEK ⭐ Matas Buzelis

20.3p/5.3r/2.3a/2.0b per game

PLAY OF THE WEEK 🎥 Yuki Kawamura behind-the-back pass

TRADE DEADLINE

After three entire calendar years of zero trades from 2022-2024, Arturas Karnisovas decided to turn a new leaf and trade everybody with a pulse on his team.

The Bulls made 7 total trades in just 5 days, and I’m sure they’re handing out nametags and checking IDs at the United Center. This is a whole new team, and it will take time for them to gel. Since they had 8 players with expiring contracts, AK decided to shuffle the deck to bring in new faces, mostly with expiring contracts, and rack up some 2nd round draft picks.

I thought the Bulls only sold 2nd round picks?!

🚨 Traded Kevin Huerter and Dario Saric to the Detroit Pistons for G Jaden Ivey and G Mike Conley Jr. in a 3-team deal🚨

• Thank you for your service, Huerter (mainly for the game-winner when Derrick Rose’s jersey was retired)

• Ivey is a candidate to stick around as an RFA after this season. He was the 5th overall pick out of Purdue in 2022, averaged 15.0+ points per game in his first 3 seasons, and is a legitimate scoring threat in the backcourt. He broke his leg in January 2025 and hasn’t been the same since.

🚨 Traded Coby White and Mike Conley Jr. to the Charlotte Hornets for G Collin Sexton, F Ousmane Dieng, and 2 2031 2nd round picks 🚨

• White was the longest tenured Bull and clearly the heart and soul of the team. Even though other players were the face of the team in his years in Chicago, he developed a mature leadership role in that locker room. When DeRozan and LaVine were traded, this became his team. He endured brutal years in this organization, took on any role he was given, and improved as a player every single season. I’ll miss Sub-Zero!

• Sexton has been a consistently good player since he was drafted 8th overall in 2018. In his career, he has scored 18.4 points per game and shot 38.7% from 3PT.

🚨 Traded Dalen Terry to the New York Knicks for F Guerschon Yabusele and cash considerations 🚨

• Terry was AK’s 2nd 1st round pick with the Bulls (18th overall in 2022). He didn’t have a spot when the team had their initial core, and after a few years of development, he could still barely crack the rotation. He’s a hilarious guy who is clearly a good teammate, so hopefully he finds a better situation.

• Yabusele was a 2016 1st round pick (16th overall), started 43 games for the 76ers last season, and had a reduced role for the Knicks this season. He is a power forward who can also play a small ball center. He waived his $5.7M player option for next season prior to leaving the Knicks, so he is another player on an expiring contract.

🚨 Traded Nikola Vucevic and a 2027 2nd round pick to the Boston Celtics for G Anfernee Simons and a 2026 2nd round pick 🚨

• It was time to move on from Vucevic. He is an excellent teammate and ideal professional, but his impact on the Bulls was underwhelming since his arrival in AK’s first major trade in 2021. AK sending him off to a different team is a defining moment for the Bulls as they are officially moving away from that era. He was an automatic double-double and had a lot of clutch moments, but his shooting as a stretch-5 and his rim defense left a lot to be desired. The Bulls desperately needed an overhaul in the frontcourt.

• Simons was the 24th overall pick in 2018, spent 7 seasons with the Trail Blazers, and is an electric scorer. He averaged 22.6 points per game in 2023-2024. It seems like his defensive abilities had improved with the Celtics this season, so he’s an intriguing player with a lot of skill.

🚨 Traded F Ousmane Dieng to the Milwaukee Bucks for C Nick Richards in a 3-team deal🚨

• Size! The Bulls finally acquired a legitimate center (6’11”) in one of these trades! Richards has had limited playing time in his NBA career and averages 6.9p/5.7r per game.

🚨 Traded Ayo Dosunmu and Julian Phillips to the Minnesota Timberwolves for G Rob Dillingham, F Leonard Miller, and 4 2nd round picks 🚨

• Ayo (2021) and Julian (2023) were AK’s most recent 2nd round picks

• Ayo is a Chicagoan through and through and gave back to the city during his time here. He worked hard on every aspect of his game and earned playing time starting in his rookie season. Ayo was hooping this season (15.0 points per game, 45.1% 3PT) and continues to get better. It’s sad seeing Chicago’s own go. He’s beloved in the locker room and plays hard every time he’s on the court.

• Phillips has amazing explosiveness as an athlete but hasn’t put it all together as a player. He was hard-pressed for minutes with the Bulls and may get a chance to develop even more in Minnesota.

• Dillingham was the 8th overall pick in 2024 and was not given much playing time over the last 2 seasons (10.0 minutes per game). He’s only 21, had one great season at Kentucky (15.2p/3.9a per game), and is a fun playmaking point guard. He could be the real prize from this deadline as he gets some runway to develop.

4 of AK’s 7 Bulls draft picks are now off the team:

2020: Patrick Williams (nearly out of the rotation), Marko Simonovic (playing overseas)

2021: Ayo Dosunmu (traded)

2022: Dalen Terry (traded)

2023: Julian Phillips (traded)

2024: Matas Buzelis

2025: Noa Essengue

Lonzo Ball was traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Utah Jazz and then was waived. I guess getting Isaac Okoro for him over the summer was a wise move!

Dalen Terry was later traded from the Knicks to the Pelicans and then was waived

Signed G Mac McClung to a two-way contract

SCHEDULE 📅 M/W & All-Star Weekend

CHICAGO BEARS

OFFSEASON

Promoted pass game coordinator Press Taylor to Offensive Coordinator

• Taylor provides some continuity for Caleb Williams and the rest of the unit as they get another whole offseason in Ben Johnson’s system

• 3 years of OC experience (Jaguars, 2022-2024)

• Former quarterback who can continue offering a QB’s perspective to Caleb

Joe Thuney won the inaugural NFL Protector of the Year award

DJ Moore’s walk-off TD reception vs. the Packers won the NFL Moment of the Year award

Ben Johnson finished 4th in NFL Coach of the Year voting

Hired Eric Studesville as Running Backs Coach. He had a number of coaching roles with the Bears between 1997 and 2000 and overlapped with Ben Johnson in Miami.

Former head coach Matt Nagy was hired by Jon Harbaugh and the New York Giants to be their new Offensive Coordinator. I hope quarterback Jaxson Dart is ready to throw the ball 40 times per game, run trick plays on every drive, and move on to a different team in a few years.

CHICAGO CUBS

OFFSEASON

Spring Training ➡️ Pitchers & Catchers report on Wednesday!

Zac Gallen rumors are flying…it feels like he is the only remaining significant move on the table for the Cubs.

SAY WHAT?

A CITYWIDE SALUTE

Ayo Dosunmu

In the midst of a career year in front of your hometown fans, a trade is probably blindsiding. Ayo grew up in Chicago and has given so much to the city. As he learned of his trade to Minnesota, he only expressed gratitude to Chicago and the Bulls organization. Read his thank you note here:

MILD TAKE

The Bulls have not changed their team building plan.

“We have made meaningful shift in terms of roster building.” - Arturas Karnisovas

I disagree.

Bulls fans are talking about a tanking team, about the front office picking a direction, about this seismic shift in the way the Bulls are handling business.

Even though the collection of trades was surprising, it doesn’t signal anything different except that they gave up on the guys they had on the roster. After years of Play-In Tournament appearances and .500 records, they decided to throw in the towel on the players they brought in and attempted to develop.

Other than that, nothing has changed until the upcoming offseason when they have coveted “salary flexibility”. Their moves over the summer will actually tell us if anything is different.

Right now? They still want to collect 9-10 very good players. They still targeted young and experienced players. They exchanged expiring contracts for other expiring contracts. Their team next year will be Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey, and a bunch of players they hope turn into something. There’s still a chance this pick-up squad scores enough points to win some games and sneaks into the Play-In this year.

The Bulls are still the Bulls. For now.

HITTING THE LINKS

Scott Powers, Mark Lazerus and Chris Johnston - Blackhawks trade board 1.0: Which pending UFAs could be drawing interest? (The Athletic)

Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus - Blackhawks insider: Ilya Mikheyev not worrying about future as trade deadline approaches (The Athletic)

Chicago Bears - Looking back at Ben Johnson's debut season, ahead to what's next | 1920 Football Drive (YouTube)

TWO MINUTE WARNING

Thanks for reading! Football is officially over, which means…baseball season!