With the season just a few games away from being over, the Chicago Bulls have learned a lot about where the franchise truly stands within today’s NBA. And the reality is hard to ignore. This team is a far cry from the glory days of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen leading the franchise to multiple championships. Back then, dominance wasn’t a goal. it was the standard.

Now, to many fans, it feels like ownership has grown comfortable with mediocrity, leaning on nostalgia from prior generations instead of building toward the next great era.

Yes, the Bulls of the ‘90s may represent the pinnacle of NBA greatness, but just like the world continues to rotate, the league evolves. And the Bulls have not kept up. If this franchise wants to recapture even a fraction of that greatness, it starts with this upcoming offseason.

My Hottest Take: The Bulls Are the Worst-Run Team in the League

For the last 25 years, the Chicago Bulls haven’t been built to chase greatness, they’ve been expected to maintain relevance. And there’s a difference. This franchise has been treated like a prized possession instead of a competitive weapon.

Under the Reinsdorf family, the Bulls have operated like a team afraid to fully commit in either direction. Not bad enough to bottom out. Not aggressive enough to contend. Just … existing in the middle. Comfortable. Safe. Profitable. It’s like owning a championship blueprint and choosing to laminate it instead of build from it.

We’ve seen flashes like Derrick Rose’s rise, Jimmy Butler’s emergence, and now recent sparks with young talent like Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey. But every time the Bulls approach a real decision point, they hesitate. They prioritize control over risk. Continuity over boldness. And in today’s NBA, that’s the fastest way to get left behind. Because the truth is, building a contender requires uncomfortable decisions. Big swings. The willingness to be wrong in pursuit of being great.

The Bulls haven’t taken enough of those swings. Instead, they’ve treated one of the most iconic brands in basketball like something to protect rather than maximize. It is like a collector’s item sitting on a shelf: valuable, historic, but not actively competing with what’s being built today. And until that mindset shifts, the Bulls won’t return to the pinnacle. They’ll just keep circling it.

What You Need to Know: The Path to a Title Is Full of Bumps

Understanding how championships are won in the NBA is a lot easier than actually going out and doing it. You need to hit on your draft picks. You need luck. And more importantly, you need time. Championship teams are not built overnight—they’re forged through failure, adjustments, and growth.

History has shown that you need a top-five player in the league to truly compete for the Larry O'Brien Trophy. And even then, that player—and that team—has to go through heartbreak before breaking through. Look at the recent champions:

• Oklahoma City Thunder – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

• Boston Celtics – Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown

• Denver Nuggets – Nikola Jokić

• Golden State Warriors – Stephen Curry

• Milwaukee Bucks – Giannis Antetokounmpo

Every single one of those teams went through playoff failures before reaching the top. The Thunder had to rebuild and fall short as a top seed before breaking through. The Celtics spent years knocking on the door before finally winning. The Nuggets and Bucks endured multiple playoff disappointments before getting their moment.

That’s the process.

That’s the price.

And it’s exactly what the Bulls have tried to avoid.

Before You Go: The Bulls have not even hit rock bottom yet

This is where everything comes to a head for the Chicago Bulls.

Because knowing how to build a contender is one thing. Having the courage to follow that path is another.

This upcoming offseason cannot be another middle-of-the-road adjustment. It cannot be another attempt to “retool” while staying competitive for a play-in spot. We’ve seen that story already and we know how it ends. If the Bulls are serious about returning to relevance they will continue to struggle to win games. Fully commit to building around the young core of Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey, embracing development, patience, and draft capital. They could get agressive if a superstar becomes available, but that would only put the Bulls behind even further. If they can find a way to draft a superstar and plug him in next to Buzelis and Giddey.

But what they cannot do is stay in between. Because the middle is where franchises stall. The middle is where potential fades into mediocrity.

The middle is where fans lose belief.

There are no shortcuts here. No half-measures that suddenly turn this roster into a contender. The Bulls need to embrace the reality of where they are even if that means taking a step back before moving forward. And yes, that comes with risk.

It means trading players you like. Sitting through growing pains. Losing more games in the short term.

But every contender we just talked about made that choice. They embraced the discomfort that comes with chasing greatness. That’s the part the Bulls have avoided. For too long, this franchise has tried to balance competitiveness with caution trying to stay relevant without fully committing to being great. And that’s why they’ve been stuck.

So as this season comes to a close, the real question isn’t about roster moves.

It’s about identity. Are the Bulls going to protect their past… Or finally risk it to build a new future? Because until that question is answered with action—not words—the Bulls won’t climb back to the top of the NBA.