While the East is bad enough that the Bulls could sneak into the Play-In Tournament, they are more than likely heading for a seventh lottery appearance in the last eight seasons.

Chicago is still expected to explore trade options for both LaVine and Vucevic later in the season, sources told ESPN, but the focus now is for both players to rebound after disappointing

Right now, the Bulls are in a position where they might look to trade Nikola Vucevic if his stock continues to rise. This team is in the middle of a rebuild, and Vucevic is an outlier on this team in terms of age.

“I don’t believe I’m [even] on the back nine of my 18 holes at all,” Vucevic said Monday before scoring 22 points and grabbing seven rebounds in the Bulls’ win over the Grizzlies. “I don’t feel like I’m on the decline or anything. People can say what they want, but I’m really just trying to prove to myself that I can still play at a high level.

According to ESPN's Jamal Collier, the Bulls are exploring trade options for guard Zach LaVine and center Nikola Vucevic this season. In the meantime, the Bulls are focusing on improving these two players' performances after they both struggled in the 2023–24 season.