It’s been two full seasons since the Chicago Bulls assembled their new-look Big 3 composed of Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, and DeMar DeRozan. They traded for Vucevic at the 2021 deadline and signed DeRozan in free agency the following summer, also bringing in Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso.
Ball went down with an injury 35 games into his Bulls tenure, and the team hasn’t been able to recover since. In two years together, the Bulls Big 3 has won just a single playoff game, and last season, they missed the playoffs entirely after losing in their second Play-In game to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat.
Now, the Bulls know this may be their last chance to win together.
‘‘This is probably our last shot to make something happen, and we’re aware of that,’’ Vucevic said via Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. ‘‘It’s on us to deliver.’’
Vucevic played in all 82 games for the Bulls last year and earned himself an extension this summer. Chicago handed him a three-year, $60 million extension.
With all three stars healthy heading into the season, Chicago needs to find success. And if they don’t, it may spell the end of their time together.
