Climbing the standings in the East no easy task for this Bulls roster

Bulls VP Arturas Karnisovas already has begun looking for answers in the first month of the offseason.

It’s the mission he spoke about in April, when he addressed the media one last time as the final chapter of the Bulls’ 2023-24 season was ending.

“The way I approach it is I am going to look at the totality of the group,” Karnisovas said then. “This group hasn’t worked.

“There’s a lot of great things in certain individual players and a lot of young guys who took a step forward, and it’s positive, but in totality as a group, it didn’t work. So I’m going to have to find these answers in the offseason.”

The moves have started with some changes to Billy Donovan’s coaching staff as well as jobs changing on the training staff, but that’s more about moving deck chairs than fixing where the Bulls sit in the standings.

Therein lies the concern.

It’s easy to point at the roster and make it a Zach LaVine problem. After all, the Bulls were an above-.500 team when LaVine was in street clothes, going 29-28 (.508) in the games the two-time All-Star missed.

But even at that winning rate, the Bulls still would’ve been the No. 9 seed, finishing behind the Heat (.561 winning percentage).

Karnisovas needs to ask himself if any changes realistically can be made that would catapult the Bulls in the Eastern Conference standings.

As the playoffs have shown, the answer likely is none when it comes to the eight teams in front of his Bulls.

1. Celtics

Little could change for a team that dominated the regular season with 64 wins and a ridiculous 11.4 point differential per game. If there’s a major collapse in the Eastern Conference finals against the Pacers, they might look for a new coach, but this is an organization already committed to $187 million in guaranteed contracts next season that likely will run it all back. And the bad news for the Bulls is they’re better at almost every position.

2. Knicks

Tom Thibodeau’s crew has some decisions to make with OG Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein, but New York has draft assets and money to spend in free agency. More important, Thibodeau has established a culture that is infectious, and he has an emerging star in guard Jalen Brunson. The Knicks aren’t going anywhere.

3. Bucks

While the Knicks found their identity, the Bucks seemed to lose theirs this season. The Damian Lillard-Giannis Antetokounmpo mash-up never seemed to find a rhythm, and that has to be the focus this summer. The bad news for the Bulls is that even with the Bucks appearing broken at times, they still finished 10 games in front of them.

4. Cavaliers

If there’s a team that might undergo a shift of star power this summer, it’s the Cavaliers. Donovan Mitchell has a player option for the 2025-26 season, and if it feels like he’s putting one foot out the door, maybe the Cavs send him out. Darius Garland could be moved if Mitchell stays, but Cleveland still has a deep roster that plays with an identity.

5. Magic

The first-round playoff loss to the Cavs showed that the Magic are young and talented, but they still need an adult in the room. Look for them to use a deep backcourt to try to lure a proven veteran. Ideally, if they can’t land Paul George or Klay Thompson, Karnisovas should be on the phone with Orlando daily trying to move LaVine there.

6. Pacers

They’re in the East finals for a reason — a trade-deadline deal that landed proven winner Pascal Siakam. Could they slide in the standings next season if Siakam — an unrestricted free agent — leaves? Maybe a bit. But while the Bulls matched up well against the Pacers in the regular season, the teams are headed in different directions.

7. 76ers

The main reason the 76ers came up short in the regular season and playoffs was an injured Joel Embiid. The bad news for the rest of the East is Tyrese Maxey has become a star, Embiid will be back and the Sixers can finally get off the Tobias Harris max deal, making room to add another max star to the mix.

8. Heat

“Heat Culture” was tested this postseason with Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier sidelined. But when healthy, there’s no team in the East that flexes its identity as obviously as Miami does. The Heat could try a major shakeup this summer, but they have some tough contracts to try to get out from under.