For the better part of the last decade, the Chicago Bulls have been stuck in one of the worst places a franchise can be in professional sports: the middle. Not good enough to contend, but not bad enough to truly rebuild. While many decisions over the years have contributed to this reality, the biggest issue has been the organization’s lack of commitment to a clear direction.

In today’s NBA, teams typically fall into one of two paths. They are either competing for championships with star-level talent, or they are building through the draft with young players and patience. The Bulls, however, have spent years trying to do both at the same time and in doing so, they have delayed the progress of the franchise.

The problem isn’t necessarily that the Bulls made a wrong move here or there. Every franchise does that. The problem is that Chicago has repeatedly chosen to avoid fully committing to either competing or rebuilding, which has kept the team stuck in basketball purgatory.

My Hottest Take: The Bulls tried be competitive for too long

There was a moment when the Bulls should have fully embraced a rebuild. Instead, the franchise continued to chase short-term competitiveness. For years, the organization tried to maintain a roster that could compete for a playoff spot without truly having the superstar talent required to compete for a championship. In the modern NBA, that approach almost never works. The league has become increasingly driven by elite talent, and the easiest way for most teams to acquire that talent is through the top of the draft. Taking a look at the NBA 75th Anniversary team here is the breakdown of where players were picked:

• No. 1 Overall: 16 Players (~21%)

• Top-5 Picks: 35 Players (~46%)

• Outside Lottery: 27 Players (~35%)

Yes, you can find talent in the middle to later rounds but it becomes increasingly more difficult, but what is not difficult in understanding is that 67% of the greatest players to ever play in the game are from the first five picks in the draft. By remaining competitive enough to hover around the middle of the standings, the Bulls consistently limited their ability to secure high draft picks. Even when they did land opportunities in the lottery, they never fully leaned into maximizing those chances.

The result has been years of mediocrity that ultimately delayed the next era of Bulls basketball. Very quick examples for the Bulls in this instance are Michael Jordan and Derrick Rose who, in my opinion, are the two best players in franchise history. They are both top-five picks in their respective draft classes.

What you need to know: The league is built around stars

Look across the NBA today and the pattern is clear. Teams that compete for championships typically have at least one true superstar, often acquired through the draft. The Denver Nuggets built around Nikola Jokic. The Milwaukee Bucks landed Giannis Antetokounmpo. These are clear outliers as Jokic was a second-roud pick and Antetokounmpo was the 15th overall pick. The Oklahoma City Thunder accumulated young talent through multiple high picks.

The Bulls, meanwhile, have struggled to land that type of franchise-altering talent.

That doesn’t mean Chicago hasn’t drafted talented players. The team has brought in young pieces with potential over the years, but the franchise has rarely positioned itself to consistently draft at the very top of the board. Without those opportunities, finding a true superstar becomes significantly more difficult.

The Bulls have not signed a top free agent in my lifetime as well. Most notable was Carlos Boozer, and he was there to compliment Rose and Joakim Noah. This is why the lack of commitment has been so costly. Every year spent chasing the middle of the standings is another year that delays the process of acquiring the elite talent needed to truly compete. This franchise has only had two true eras with a chance at winning championships and really only capitolized on one of them since they had literally the greatest player of all time. The second one was during the Rose era and that is maybe the biggest what if in NBA history.

Before you go: The Cost of Delayed Rebuilding

Now the Bulls are finally leaning toward a younger core and evaluating what the future of the roster could look like. Players like Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey represent potential building blocks for the next era of Bulls basketball, and the organization is beginning to evaluate how the rest of the roster fits around them.

But because the franchise waited so long to fully embrace a reset, the timeline may now take longer than it otherwise would have. If the Bulls would have committed to this rebuild after the Lonzo Ball injury in 2021. The team could have set its eyes on trying to get a Victor Wembenyama or a Cooper Flagg, who are both blossoming superstars and can barely have an adult beverage.

Rebuilds in the NBA are rarely quick, but teams that commit to the process early tend to accelerate their timelines. By contrast, teams that hesitate often spend additional seasons trying to recover lost ground. For Chicago, that means the real beginning of the rebuild may just now be starting years after the franchise first found itself drifting away from contention.