The Chicago Bulls have not seen success since the days of Derrick Rose in a Bulls jersey. They have been mediocre, to say the least, for the last four years. 

Things took a turn for the better this past year with some overdue changes in the front office that led to some growth for the team. 

While the team improved, it still was not good enough to make the playoffs. The Bulls had a very active offseason to drastically turn this team into not only a playoff team, but one which could be seen as a threat in the playoffs as well. They started by drafting hometown kid, Ayo Dosunmu, who had a great college season at the University of Illinois. Dosunmu was part of the team that won the Big Ten Championship and lead the Illini to a one-seed in the NCAA Men’s March Madness tournament.

But, the Bull’s biggest moves came in free agency. Their first priority was signing guard Lonzo Ball as soon as free agency started. In a sign and trade with the New Orleans Pelicans, Lonzo agreed to a four-year deal for $85 million with the Bulls. 

Ball will bring playmaking and defense at the starting point guard position that the Bulls so desperately needed. Lonzo had his best season this past year with the Pelicans, putting up shooting 41% from the field and 37% from three-point range. He should be a great deal of help in the backcourt with all-star Zach Lavine, who is also coming off a career year. 

The Bulls made a couple more moves by signing former all-star Demar Derozan in another sign and trade. Then, the Bulls signed NBA champion Alex Caruso, a very good role player to have on their team, who adds shooting and defense to the roster. The Bulls recently traded away Lauri Markaneen for a very versatile player in Derrick Jones Jr. while also acquiring a first and second-round draft pick.

Safe to say, the hiring of Arturas Karnisovas to become the Bulls’ executive vice president of basketball operations has been a success so far. 

The Bulls had their eyes set on adding more depth in their frontcourt by adding former all-star and veteran Paul Millsap, but he has recently signed a deal with the Brooklyn Nets, a team that looks to be a powerhouse on paper. 

No matter what happens next though whether the Bulls find another player to add to their roster or not that would only be the cherry on top of an off-season that can already be deemed a success. Hopefully, the roster will not only look improved on paper but on the court as well.