Chicago Bulls: Takeaways from Nikola Mirotic trade

2. Younger players to see more playing time

During the 2016-17 campaign, there were a couple of players who became an integral part of the team’s rotation. One of the players in question was Cristiano Felicio.

The Bulls were so impressed by his level of play that they decided to sign him to a four-year deal worth $32 million. Unfortunately for both sides, Felicio hasn’t played particularly well this season and has been used sparingly to the tune of just 12.8 minutes per contest.

Another player who seemed to come out of nowhere last season was Paul Zipser, who averaged five points per contest on 39.8 percent shooting and 33.3 percent from 3-point range. Much like Felicio, Zipser hasn’t seen a ton of playing time either even though he was inserted into the lineup at the beginning of the season.

With Mirotic out of the equation, this will open the door for some of the younger players to prove they belong.

"“From this point on, I think you’ll see Paul Zipser will get an opportunity to play more. Cris Felicio will play more,” John Paxson told the Chicago Tribune. “When you look at where we’re at in the season, the record that we have, we have to continue to find out about our young players. “It’s our job to evaluate what they are and who fits into our future. The only way you do that is by seeing them out on the court.”"

Paxson went on to say that even Cameron Payne — who has had multiple foot injuries — will get a look once he returns after the All-Star break. Barring some kind of miracle, though, it is difficult to foresee a scenario where Payne plays a significant amount of minutes going forward.