As the 2023-24 NBA season comes to a close, these five Chicago Bulls are unlikely to return to the Windy City the following season.
Zach LaVine is one of numerous Bulls who will most likely not return for the 2024-25 season.
Fans of the Chicago Bulls have been quite disappointed in the 2023-24 NBA season. The Bulls battled throughout the year and are on track to make the Play-In Tournament. However, their record of eight 40-loss performances in the previous nine years is not impressive.
If the Bulls want to return to their glory, an offseason overhaul is needed. Between several players hitting free agency and the team needing to move on from a handful of underperformers, there’s a good chance that several familiar faces won’t be around in Chicago next season.
Here are five Bulls who will most likely not return for the 2024-25 NBA season.
1. Zach LaVine (SF/SG)
Many Bulls supporters would be stunned if Zach LaVine survived the summer in Chicago. After all, it looked like there was a good chance that LaVine was going to be traded this season. Although the veteran wing has three years (and a player option) remaining on his five-year, $215 million contract, the Bulls’ slow start to the year had fans and experts alike theorizing that Chicago would love him for a massive haul to help with a rebuild.
However, no exchange took place. The Bulls revealed in February that LaVine would be undergoing season-ending foot surgery, putting a halt to any prospective trade negotiations. The 29-year-old veteran concluded the season with 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and.452/.349/.854 shooting percentages in 25 games.
But just because the in-season trade chances have passed does not mean a move is off the table. NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson stated in March that “the Bulls will look to trade LaVine again this offseason.” A delayed agreement may be for the best, since potential suitors should have greater freedom in the summer.
LaVine has provided Chicago with plenty of memorable moments over the last seven seasons, but all good things must end if a new era is to begin.
2. Andre Drummond, C.
Andre Drummond has been the Bulls’ primary backup center ever since joining the organization on a two-year, $6.6 million deal back in July 2022. Having said that, the veteran big man’s contract ends at the end of the year and there’s a good chance that opposing teams will attempt to lure him away from Chicago
Drummond’s accuracy has slipped this season, but he has shown that he still has something left in the tank. The two-time All-Star center has averaged 8.4 points on 55.4% shooting, 9.1 rebounds, and 0.9 steals in 17.3 minutes a game with the Bulls.
Even while these figures are far from personal bests, his 24.8 points and 26.5 rebounds per 100 possessions are higher than his career averages of 23.5 and 22.8, respectively.
It just doesn’t make sense for Drummond to re-sign with the Bulls from either perspective. He’s an established veteran who still hasn’t won a championship ring, meaning it’s likely that the last thing he wants is to spend his early 30s on a rebuilding team. As for the Bulls, they’ll likely want to get younger this offseason and Drummond doesn’t exactly help with that.
Finally, it would be mutually beneficial for all parties to split ways, which is why Drummond is unlikely to return next year.
3. DeMar DeRozan (SF/PF)
LaVine and Drummond aren’t the only former All-Stars who might leave the Windy City this offseason. DeMar DeRozan could also be on his way out in the coming months.
DeRozan, 34, is slated to hit free agency following three productive seasons in Chicago. The former three-time All-NBA forward has suited up in over 220 games for the Bulls since 2021-22, averaging 25.3 PTS/4.7 REB/5.1 AST while shooting 49.6% from the floor and 33.1% from deep. He also cemented himself as one of the league’s best players during his time with the franchise, finishing MVP voting two years ago.
It’s just hard to imagine a world where DeRozan is back in the Bulls’ lineup next season. You could make the argument that he’s going to be one of the top five free agents this offseason, meaning there’s a good chance that he’ll get a huge paycheck. Chicago can certainly afford to re-sign him, but management might feel less inclined to do that if the goal is to amass high draft picks over the next few years.
DeRozan’s time in Chicago was short and sweet, but the reality is it doesn’t make sense to keep him around. He’s looking for his first ring, too, and chances are that he won’t win one with the Bulls soon, meaning it’s in his best interest to continue his career elsewhere.
4. Javonte Green, SF/PF
I wouldn’t be shocked if plenty of teams call Javonte Green when the veteran forward hits free agency this summer.
After spending most of the 2023-24 season with the G League’s Santa Cruz Warriors, Green joined the Bulls on a 10-day contract at the end of March. Even though it was initially seen as a ‘nothing’ signing at first, the 30-year-old’s play surprised enough people to the point where the franchise signed him for the remainder of the year on April 4.
Yes, it’s a small sample size, but Green has looked good as he averages 11.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, and a 68.8% field-goal percentage across 21.2 minutes per night. If he could maintain that production for an entire 82-game schedule, it’d be a career year for the former Radford product.
I’m not saying that this production will be the norm for Green, but his play does prove that he can’t be written off just yet. If an interested party is convinced that he’s the real deal, they’re going to give him a chance to do so in a bigger role next season. It’ll just likely have to happen in a non-Chicago city, though, given that the Bulls are heading for a rebuild and won’t need his services anymore.
5. Billy Donovan, HC
Players aren’t the only type of Bulls who might not return to the team next season. After all, there’s a decent chance that head coach Billy Donovan’s time with the franchise is ending.
Bulls fans had high hopes for Donovan as he joined the franchise ahead of the 2020-21 season, but his teams consistently fall short of expectations. Unless the Bulls win all of their remaining games, the 2023-24 campaign will mark Donovan’s third losing season in the last four years — a stretch where he’s gone 154-160.
To help put things into perspective, the Bulls’ 49.0% winning percentage under Donovan’s guidance is tied for seventh-worst in the NBA during that span. It’d be different if they at least had some playoff success, however, the 58-year-old has only directed Chicago to one playoff appearance, which was a five-game loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2022.
While Donovan isn’t the sole cause of the Bulls’ struggles, he doesn’t exactly help the team avoid them. His lineup strategies are consistently under scrutiny and his game planning tends to stagnate when the other team has him figured out. He’s far from the league’s worst coach, but he also might not be that special either.
The Oklahoma City Thunder improved with each season following Donovan’s departure four years ago. Hopefully, the Bulls can achieve similar success if they move on from him this summer.
