The Feb 5 NBA trade deadline has come and gone, and the league looks completely different. Many interesting moves were made and not made, competitors bolstered their rotations, rebuilding teams improved their draft capital and young core, and Giannis again has not been traded after publicly making it clear that he wants to be. The Chicago Bulls saw many faces come and go at the deadline, and their future looks even brighter now without giving up too much. Let us take a look at all the moves that the Bulls made, and what their future looks like post-deadline.

We start off with the first trade the Bulls made at the deadline: a three-team deal that saw the team acquire two guards, Jaden Ivey from the Detroit Pistons, and Mike Conley from the Minnesota Timberwolves. In the trade, the Bulls sent guard Kevin Huerter and center Dario Saric to the Pistons. Jaden Ivey is a young and promising guard who will most likely be a part of Chicago’s future.

The next trade the Bulls made was one many fans have been wanting for a few seasons now. Chicago sent big man Nikola Vucevic and a second-round pick to the Boston Celtics in exchange for veteran guard Anfernee Simons and a second-round pick. Before the trade, Simons was the favorite to win Sixth Man of the Year, coming off the Celtics bench and putting up 14 points on 44% field goal percentage, with a near 40% 3 point percentage. He will be a strong veteran presence for Chicago and the starting point guard for the remainder of the year.

The next move the Bulls made was a heartbreaking one for fans, but one that was ultimately necessary. The Bulls dealt fan favorite guard Coby White, as well as Mike Conley, to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for guard Colin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng, and three future second-round picks. With the Hornets being a young, up-and-coming team, it makes sense that they would trade for a young guard with star potential; however, Chicago’s return was very weak. The Bulls acquired a lot of second-round picks this deadline, something that makes no sense to a lot of fans. 

Another move the Bulls made was the trade of guard Ayo Dosunmu to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for young guard Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, and even more second-round picks. Dosunmu was a young guard who was a very reliable bench piece for the Bulls, and whose value was definitely worth more than second-round picks. Rob Dillingham is a young guard who shows promise in flashes but needs more minutes to show what he is actually capable of.

Those are just the major moves that the Chicago Bulls made at the deadline, and they could’ve done a lot better. The trades that needed to happen could have been better, and the Bulls could have gotten more in return for Vucevic, White, and Dosunmu. The Bulls also had a weird obsession with acquiring second-round picks, not to mention the numerous guards they acquired. They currently have eight guards on their roster and not a single player above 6’10. After a strong start to the season, the Bulls now look like a fringe play-in team, and even if they make it in, they will likely not go far. The Chicago Bulls are now looking towards the offseason, and we are intrigued to see what moves the Bulls will make.