Chicago Bulls: Takeaways from Nikola Mirotic trade

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1. The tank is officially back on

After trading Jimmy Butler, and parting ways with both Rondo and Dwyane Wade, John Paxson knew the chances of this new-look Bulls squad being good were slim and none. With that being said, he advised that the team would not be judged on wins and losses, but rather developing a culture in which the players on the roster go out and give an all-out effort each night they stepped on the court, even if the record didn’t always reflect that effort.

Following the improbable seven-game winning streak, the Bulls have dropped 14 of their last 22 games. Furthermore, they are in the midst of a five-game losing skid, marking the third time they’ve recorded losing streaks of at least five games.

With Kris Dunn still out indefinitely and now the team’s leading scorer playing elsewhere, racking up wins will be a difficult task at best. Considering the Bulls have the sixth-worst record in the league, that may not be a bad thing in regards to increasing their chances of getting a high pick in this year’s NBA Draft.

Sure, the Asik contract is pretty bad and the fact the Bulls also included the second round pick they acquired from the Pels (for Quincy Pondexter) in this trade may not have been necessary. However, the Bulls are right where they want to be.

Next: 2018 NBA Draft big board: End of January

Not only are the Bulls far from being a playoff team, but they will also have an additional first round selection — something that didn’t seem likely when they initially placed Mirotic on the trading block.