Chicago Bulls: 5 takeaways from Jimmy Butler trade

No. 4: Bulls in rebuild mode

Following last year’s draft, the Bulls promised to get younger and athletic. Of course, that sentiment went out the window when they acquired Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade. Although both players possess championship pedigree, they provided very little from an athleticism standpoint.

Based on those moves, it was safe to say the Bulls preferred to remain competitive rather than going into full-scale rebuild mode. A year later, that sentiment has changed a bit.

Prior to the start of the 2016-17 season, the Bulls had eight players with three or less years of NBA experience. With the additions of LaVine, Dunn and their recent draft acquisition, that total now stands at 10.

Now that they have dealt away their longest-tenured player, it appears the Bulls have decided to hit the reset button.

"“I said at the trade deadline this past year that we needed a certainty in terms of jump-starting this thing,” Paxson told the Sun-Times. “When you talk about certainty, you talk about young players, draft picks, that give you a leg up on it. “It is rebuilding. There’s going to be a lot of bumps along the road.’’"

There will be bumps in the road for several reasons. First, none of the younger players from last season did anything to prove they could be relied upon consistently.

Although LaVine is a very athletic player who was having a career year before going down with an ACL injury, his status in terms of being ready for the start of next season is uncertain.

Furthermore — Dunn — who didn’t play too well during his rookie campaign (3.8 points and 2.4 assists per game on 38 percent shooting) — becomes the sixth point guard on the Bulls roster. The backup point guard spot was similar to a revolving door last season, and adding Dunn to the mix does not solve that problem.

Taking those factors into consideration, Bulls fans should not expect to see this team competing for a playoff berth next season.