Over the past few seasons, the Chicago Bulls have been riddled with mediocrity. The past two seasons the Bulls missed the playoffs and finished as the eighth seed. They have looked nothing like a team competing to win a championship.

Over the off season, the Bulls have chosen to change the direction of their franchise. On a draft night shocker, the Bulls traded star player Jimmy Butler and the sixteenth pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves for point guard Kris Dunn, shooting guard Zach Lavine and the seventh pick, used to draft Lauri Markkanen.

“In the past, we’ve gone to the playoffs but not to the level we wanted to,” said Vice President of basketball operations John Paxson when discussing the trade with reporters. “We’ve set a direction.”

The Bulls are excited to bring in these young players, and they hope they can form a young core. Kris Dunn is a year removed from being a top five pick in the draft; he struggled offensively last year, but his defense is highly regarded throughout the league. Head coach Fred Hoiberg reportedly worked all summer with Kris Dunn to help improve his jump shot, and drastic improvement can be expected this season.

Last year Zach Lavine was looking like a young star in the league when he tore his ACL. Reports state that Lavine is well ahead of schedule in his recovery and should be back a few weeks into the season. Lavine hopes to establish himself as the leader of the Bulls moving forward.

Finally, Lauri Markannen is a power forward out of the University of Arizona. He is a seven footer, considered to be one of the best three point shooters in all of college basketball last season. Bulls executives hope his skills will translate to the NBA and help the team stretch the floor.

“The Bulls need to find a young nucleus to build around,” said head boys’ basketball coach Quin Hayes. “We’ve seen it work with other teams.”

Although the Bulls have brought in young pieces, they are expected to be one of the worst teams in the NBA this season.

“I expect the Bulls to display their best effort, but their best effort will not get them more than 30 wins, unfortunately,” said junior Alex Weidner.

In fact, ESPN expects the Chicago Bulls to finish last.

“The Bulls made it clear that they had no intention to put a winning product on the court when they traded Jimmy Butler,” said  junior Nick McCaulley. “I would be shocked if they did not end the season with the worst record in the league.”

With an expected lineup to open the season of Jerian Grant, Justin Holiday, Paul Zipser, Lauri Markkanen, and Robin Lopez, it is hard to disagree with this belief. The Bulls lack established players, let alone star power.

“The Bulls are very young and have a lot of question marks,” said Coach Hayes. “It could be a rough year.”

Therefore, Bulls fans must temper their expectations. The Bulls will likely miss the playoffs and a long season almost certainly awaits. Fans should watch for development among young players to gauge success.

The Bulls will also hold one of the largest sums of money heading into free agency next summer. Many big name free agents will be available, but the Bulls should look for reasonable fits that can improve the team. Landing at least one key free agent could go a long way in advancing the Bulls rebuild.

As the Bulls begin the process of rebuilding, fans should root for a draft pick and hope the team loses more than it wins. Next year’s draft class looks to be very deep and is expected to be star-studded at the the top. If the Bulls can obtain the number one overall pick, they will have the opportunity to land a franchise-changing player.

The following season looks grim for the Bulls. However, with a potential high draft pick and free agent acquisition, the Bulls future could be bright for the next season and beyond.