For the third year in a row, the Bulls hold firm at the NBA trade deadline.

It is the third year in a row that the Chicago Bulls have remained silent before the NBA trade deadline on Thursday.

In a video conference with reporters shortly after the deadline, Bulls vice president Arturas Karnisovas repeated multiple times that he was pleased with the team’s recent performance and that his goals were for it to “remain competitive,” even though the Bulls entered Thursday in ninth place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 24-27.

Karnisovas stated, “We would take a step back, which we don’t want.” Our preferred word is competitive. We owe it to this community to maintain our competitiveness and make the playoffs.”

The Bulls are vying for a play-in tournament position after missing the playoffs the previous season. As of Thursday, they are 4½ games behind the Pacers for the No. 6 seed. Karnisovas, however, cited the teams “bunched up” in the middle of the conference, almost all of whom intend to advance in the standings after making a deal before Thursday.

“I understand that this is a result-driven company,” he remarked. “I’ll accept accountability for my shortcomings. However, it’s still extremely early to declare what constitutes success and what does not. Thirty games remain. We’ll see what this group is capable of.”

Based on data from ESPN Stats & Information, the Bulls are the only team in the last three seasons not to make a trade the week of the trade deadline. (The Cavaliers and Heat made agreements just before the deadline; they didn’t make deals particularly on that day.)

Bulls guard Zach LaVine, who was among the most talked-about players of the season before the trade deadline, voiced his dissatisfaction with the team’s losing record in November and declined to respond to inquiries earlier in the season on his desire to be transferred. However, ailments kept LaVine to just 25 games. On Thursday, the star guard had foot surgery, starting the four- to six-month recuperation process, according to Karnisovas.

Karnisovas went on to say that he gets along well with LaVine and that he was not worried about LaVine staying with the company in the future.

Karnisovas declared, “With Zach on the team, we are better.”

Prior to the deadline, the Bulls conducted exploratory talks with teams on a number of other players, including as Alex Caruso and Andre Drummond, sources told ESPN. However, Chicago was hesitant to deal Caruso because it wanted to contend for a postseason berth. Getting players in return was more important to the Bulls than draft capital.

DeMar DeRozan, a forward who is eligible to become an unrestricted free agency this summer, was also retained by Chicago. It was similar to how, despite Nikola Vucevic’s contract expiring last season, the Bulls never really considered moving him before the deadline and instead offered him a new three-year contract in the offseason. Indicating his desire to take a similar route, Karnisovas said on Thursday that he would like to re-sign DeRozan, who turns 35 in August.

Karnsiovas declared, “I adore DeMar.” He is really important to the group, the city, and this team. He has been our closer and has been fantastic for our young men. It’s fantastic for this team, in my opinion. I believe we have a chance to keep him when the time comes.”

With a dramatic roster overhaul, Karnisovas started his administrative career in Chicago, keeping just Zach LaVine and Coby White from the team he inherited in April 2020. The Bulls have only acquired the draft rights to choose Julian Phillips in the second round of the 2023 draft, though, in one transaction since August 2021.

“I think we demonstrated we can be ambitious with what we did in 2021, the summer when we flipped around our roster,” Karnisovas remarked.

“I will constantly be looking for ways to make the squad better. What increases our competitiveness both today and in the future. Those weren’t options that we had.

Karnisovas said he has ownership’s approval to begin a comprehensive rebuild, but he is still steadfast in his belief in LaVine, DeRozan, and Vucevic. In the last three seasons, the Bulls have only attended one postseason series and won one playoff game. Furthermore, the Bulls are 84-93 in the regular season since Lonzo Ball, who Karnisovas stated “maybe in a perfect world” will be ready to play next season, sustained an injury in January 2022.

Karnisovas stated, “A shakeup doesn’t ensure your success.” “With all of this talk about rebuilding and things, I think this bunch provides you the best chance to compete.”