The Chicago Bulls as of January 25th are only 6 games behind being in the playoffs with a record of 18-30. The Bulls are now finally at full strength with Zach Lavine back from his ACL injury. The future looks very bright for the Bulls.

Many people believe the Bulls should be losing on purpose in order to be set up for a better draft pick, or maybe they should make some trades to improve the team for the future. But the Bulls are not that far from becoming a playoff team now. In fact, there are more moves the Bulls could make now to be in a more solid position for the playoffs.

Nikola Mirotic is a name that comes up often when talking about trades the Bulls should make. With Lauri Markkanen playing incredibly right now it does make sense to trade Mirotic and let Lauri be the man on the team.

The Bulls could most definitely receive a 1st round draft pick for Mirotic; however, they could acquire a very good player instead. Right now, Mirotic is averaging 17 points and 7 rebounds a game. Championship contenders or teams that are trying to turn the corner this season should be interested in adding a great scoring option in Mirotic.

One player they could go after is Stanley Johnson of the Detroit Pistons. This would be a no brainer for the Detroit Pistons right now as Stanley Johnson hasn’t lived up to his potential and is only averaging 7.5 points per game; Nikola Mirotic, on the other hand, is averaging 17 points per game. Detroit needs a stretch-4 player like Mirotic who can space the floor and shoot the ball.

Johnson would fit much better in Chicago with the run and gun type of offense the Bulls run compared to the slower pace of Detroit. Stanley Johnson is a great defender who has a decent shot and is good at driving to the hoop.  

Robin Lopez who has been a great addition since signing with the Bulls two seasons ago is getting paid too much. But, he has been having a good season and has some good trade value. The Bulls should use Robin Lopez, and if they need to add a second round pick or another bench player so be it because Deyonta Davis of the Memphis Grizzlies looks like the real deal. His stats right now might seem mediocre, but he just isn’t receiving the playing time he needs to succeed. Davis with the minutes that Robin Lopez is getting would easily average 10 points and 10 rebounds a game with the height and tenacity that he has. The Bulls should do whatever they can to acquire him now before the Grizzlies start giving him more playing time and more teams start to realize how good he is.

The Bulls starting 5 could be as follows if these trades happen: Kris Dunn, Zach Lavine, Stanley Johnson, Lauri Markkanen, and Deyonta Davis. That would be the strongest and youngest team out there, which could go out and compete every night.

The Bulls future is bright, and Chicago Bulls fans should be excited with the young team the Bulls have. The new acquisitions they might make before the trade deadline could possibly get them into the playoffs in 2018 and might make them a top team in the Eastern Conference.