Bulls Notes: Giddey, Roster, LaVine, Vucevic

The Bulls up to two first-round picks were offered Alex Caruso before the 2024 trade deadline, sources confirmed to ESPN's Jamal Collier. Instead, Chicago traded Caruso to Oklahoma City in a one-for-one deal over the summer for the fourth-year point guard Josh Giddey This led to some outside criticism of the front office.

As Collier points out, the Bulls preferred to acquire an established NBA player rather than acquire future draft assets because they wanted to avoid a complete roster dismantling. They also envision Giddey as a key part of a new-look roster built in a run-and-gun style.

“(Giddey) plays exactly the way we want to play” Bulls general manager Marc Eversley said ESPN.

Entering Friday's game, the Bulls ranked first in the NBA in pace (105.22 possessions per game) and had significantly increased their three-point percentage since last season, making 42.2 attempts per game , which is good for third place in the league. In comparison, the Bulls ranked 26th in 2023-24 with 32.1 three-point attempts per game.

“We’re not running, we’re done.” Head coach Billy Donovan he told his team last month. “It's that simple. If we run, we'll have fun.”

Here's more on the Bulls:

• Chicago's roster changes have not translated into success on the field so far this season. The team has a 3-6 record and has struggled defensively. Still, Giddey believes there is a good foundation to build on, Collier said. “We have pieces” said Giddey. “It's not like we're starting from scratch. It's a really talented group and whether it's Week 1 or Week 15 or anywhere in between, we'll be where we're supposed to be. We are all convinced of what we want to achieve here.”
• The Bulls are still expected to explore the trade market in search of veteran takers Zach LaVine And Nikola Vucevic later this season, Collier reports. For now, the focus is on restoring the duo's value after a disappointing 2023/24 season. Both players have benefited from Giddey's skill level so far – Vucevic's 58.1% field goal rate would be a career high, while LaVine's 49.5% would be the second-highest rate of his career.
• According to Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer (video link), he recently asked an NBA general manager what price he would pay to acquire Vucevic. The GM responded that he would give up “a few” second-round picks. Fischer adds that it's probably more realistic for the Bulls to trade Vucevic during the season than to find a viable deal for LaVine during the season.