Will the Chicago Bulls' decision to run it back for another season backfire?

The Chicago Bulls boldly decided to bring back their core and try again next season.

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The Chicago Bulls did not make any earth-shattering moves, as most experts expected this past offseason. What the team did, though, was make subtle ones such as re-signing All-Star big man Nikola Vucevic and acquiring free-agent role players like Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig. 

This means the Bulls will be trotting out a roster made up of mostly the same players from last season. Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic points to this move as one that could hurt the franchise when all is said and done in the 2023-2024 season.

Change course

The Bulls' front office has rebuffed all calls for the team to reshape its roster. They had a chance to do that at the trade deadline earlier this year and once again in the offseason. Now, they're stuck with a high-priced but underachieving roster with little chance of moving up the hierarchy in the Eastern Conference.

"The Bulls have declined multiple opportunities to go in a different direction since losing to the Bucks in the first round in 2022. Instead, they've doubled down. They chose continuity despite the career-threatening knee injury of Lonzo Ball. They re-signed Nikola Vucevic, brought back guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, and decided against trading Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan," Mayberry wrote.

More questions than answers

Extensive data clearly indicates that the Bulls' "Big 3" simply fails to function cohesively. Despite their impressive individual statistics last season, their collective efforts could not yield significant success, ultimately resulting in the Bulls' failure to progress to the NBA Playoffs. 

Will Carter and Craig be the answers to the Bulls' woes? That's an awful lot to put on the shoulders of two players who have embraced off-the-bench roles for most of their careers.

"Not only has the trio of LaVine, DeRozan, and Vucevic proven to be insufficient, but it also isn't a core with a long shelf life. DeRozan is 34 and entering the final year of his contract. Vucevic is 32. LaVine is only 28 but has yet to lift the Bulls into perennial contention after six years with the franchise. Will minor additions such as Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig keep the Bulls from being forced to blow it up by the trade deadline?" Mayberry added.