CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 30: Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas speaks to the media during Chicago Bulls Media Day at Advocate Center on September 30, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Ima …
CHICAGO - The NBA trade deadline has passed and the Chicago Bulls are done making moves.
For now, at least.
As the dust settled after Thursday's trade deadline, the Bulls didn't gain any extra draft capital and only secured their 2025 first-round pick.
The future of the team remains in question: what exactly is the Bulls' future plan? That plan is still to be determined by the teams' front office.
What will shape that plan is the final 30 game stretch of the 2024-2025 season, as the next opportunity to shape the roster will come this offseason.
"The next 30 games will determine if we will be in Play-In and playoffs," Executive vice president of basketball operations of the Chicago Bulls Artūras Karnišovas said. "This is something that is achievable and our guys are capable of getting there."
Karnišovas, in a 22-minute press conference on Thursday, addressed the trade deadline moves, acquired players and addressed the future.
The last part remained perplexing as the Bulls continue to wane between competing for a playoff spot and rebuilding.
If last week was any indication, the Bulls are moving toward the latter.
Shipping star guard Zach LaVine to Sacramento netted the Bulls three players in Kevin Huerter, Tre Jones and Zach Collins. The Bulls also extended guard Lonzo Ball for an extra two-years worth $20 million.
Karnišovas thanked LaVine for his eight years in Chicago, and lauded the leadership that Ball has brought to the team and how the players respect him.
"They love him," Karnišovas said. "He's impacted the team in a positive way. We wanted to keep him."
However, Ball is a 27-year-old guard coming off a major knee operation that no other player in NBA history has ever returned from. It seems highly unlikely, perhaps inadvisable, to place the team's future on his shoulders.
One return the Bulls were elated to get was full control of their 2025 first-round pick. It was originally a protected pick that the Bulls would receive if it were a top-10 pick. Had it landed beyond No. 10 overall, it would go to the San Antonio Spurs as part of the DeMar DeRozan trade in 2021.
That pick will be integral for the future of the Bulls, because Karnišovas didn't want to repeat any mistakes like he had in previous seasons.
"We skipped steps and we tried to accelerate the process," Karnišovas said. "We have an opportunity now to play slower and evaluate our young guys."
What Karnišovas wants is to build a core of young players. He said the likes of Huerter, Collins, Jones, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu and Matas Buzelis form a core the Bulls can build around.
"This has to be the right combination of players needed to win games," Karnišovas said.
Karnišovas placed the playoffs as a ceiling for this team. However, that's not promised, especially with a team that lacks a true star player.
Whatever happens in the next 30 games will decide how the Bulls are going to approach this offseason.
"I'm confident we're going to figure it out in the next 30 games," Karnišovas said.