With the Golden State Warriors‘ state in limbo following yet another miserable season in which they failed to reach the postseason for the second time in three years, many have asked: Should the proud franchise tear it all down and start a rebuild?
It’s not a wild proposition either. The team’s core of Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler are aging and getting more injury-prone with each passing year, and they don’t have a cache of young talent to move forward with.
Advertisement
Green, though, pushed back against the idea, citing the example of the most successful team of the 1990s: the Chicago Bulls. After winning six championships during that era, the Bulls have returned to the NBA Finals since 1998 despite having incredible talents like Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng and Butler.
Rebuilds aren’t easy
To the casual hoops fan, rebuilds are as easy as letting go of your highest-paid players, tanking, and receiving a high draft pick to get a talented, young player who can help the franchise get back on its feet. However, history shows that this route doesn’t guarantee success; the Bulls know this firsthand after three decades of mixed results.
Advertisement
In fact, over the last six seasons, the Bulls have made the playoffs just once and have had a winning record once.
“If you’re the Chicago Bulls, you’ve rebuilt three times since Michael Jordan retired. And rebuilds are so hard to do,”Green said on his show.
“Think about this. The Chicago Bulls said to Michael Jordan in 1998, ‘That’s it. We’re getting rid of Phil Jackson.’Michael Jordan said, ‘Well, I’m not playing for another coach. If you get rid of Phil Jackson, you’re getting rid of Michael Jordan, too. I’m out of here.’ Jerry Krause said, ‘No problem,’ and proceeded to let Michael Jordan walk,” he continued.
Advertisement
Since that time, the Bulls have benefited from having a plethora of high draft picks that they used to select players like Elton Brand, Jay Williams, Marcus Fizer, Eddy Curry, Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Rose and Noah.
While a few of those picks never panned out, most went on to have solid careers and helped the Bulls become elite, if only briefly, during the 2010s. However, Rose’s ACL tear brought them back down to earth, where they have remained stuck.
Still rebuilding to this day
The Bulls recently completed a horrendous season, finishing with a 31-51 record. Since then, they have cleaned house, letting go of their head coach and front-office executives. And with a roster led by young studs Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis, the Bulls aren’t expected to contend for the playoffs any time soon.
Advertisement
“You see what I’m getting at here, they drafted extremely well. I just named five or six guys who had great careers and major accomplishments, and yet they’re still in a rebuild,” Dray stated. “They rebuilt from that era, and now they’re back in another rebuild.”
“Michael Jordan retired — obviously came back — but he left the Bulls 28 years ago, and they still haven’t gotten it right,” the fiery forward emphasized. “So when teams rush into rebuilds, it’s just not everything people hype it up to be.”
The Bulls currently hold the fourth pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. And in a draft class as stacked as this year’s, they may have the chance to turn things around, provided they get the right player.
Advertisement
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 13, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.