Chicago Bulls: 5 big goals for 2018-19 NBA season

2. Trade key veterans

While the optimism is growing for this roster, it is still not ready to compete with the upper echelon of teams in the Eastern Conference. The playoffs may be a possibility, but this isn’t a team threatening to go deep against some of the top teams in the East.

As such, it would be prudent for the Chicago Bulls to find suitors for key players like Robin Lopez and Justin Holiday. At this point, it appears compensation for either of those would be minimal.  It’s entirely possible that either Lopez or Holiday and their expiring contracts could fetch a second round draft pick.

The Bulls could also look at dealing Bobby Portis before the trade deadline. Moving Portis would have more to do with his impending restricted free agency than any other factor. Finding himself in a logjam in the frontcourt, Portis may opt for a situation where he could be a starter elsewhere and sign an offer sheet next summer. In this case, it would behoove the front office to move Portis sooner for compensation rather than letting him walk to another team.

As impressive as the roster appears to be (on paper), it’s still incomplete. The last thing this team needs is veterans who aren’t a part of the future plans taking playing time away from the younger guys such as Carter and Chandler Hutchison. In this case, Lopez and Holiday would be more valuable for this franchise’s future if they were on a different one.