DONE DEAL: The Chicago Bulls and a world-class spectacular ace have reached an agreement.

The Chicago Bulls are going nowhere fast. The team is approaching the 10-game mark of the season and currently sits at 3-5, having just snapped a three-game slump. However, don’t let the shine of the Bulls’ 130-113 win over the Utah Jazz on Monday night blind you from the reality that this isn’t a good team with pieces that clearly don’t work well together.

While it’s been said many times in many ways, this sentiment bears repeating; the Bulls must do something as soon as possible to turn the season around while they still can.

Core doesn’t work

According to Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz, there’s enough evidence to conclude that this core just does not operate at its very best without point guard Lonzo Ball leading the charge. And with Ball set to miss his second season in a row to recover from a cartilage transplant procedure, the Bulls’ core just isn’t as effective as it could be.

“At some point, Chicago will be forced to look itself in the mirror and admit that this core simply doesn’t work together without Lonzo Ball. Not enough was done in the offseason to address the point guard position, Patrick Williams has taken a step backward, and the defense is off to a 23rd-ranked start,” Swartz wrote.

“Instead of the iconic bull-head logo, Chicago is perhaps better represented by a hamster running on a wheel. Things are technically happening, but no progress is actually being made,” Swartz added.

Rebuild has to happen

If the Bulls decide to pivot to a rebuild this season, one of the first moves the front office has to make is to trade their best asset – Zach LaVine. Long considered one of the best scorers—albeit his robust numbers don’t usually translate to wins—LaVine may fetch the Bulls a package of draft picks and young players they could use to kickstart their rebuild.

“LaVine is a terrific scorer, although he’s long been a flawed defender who hasn’t impacted winning the way a multi-time All-Star should. Now in his 10th season, he has only finished with a positive swing rating twice in his career, with the Bulls currently getting beat by 6.7 points per 100 possessions with their star guard on the floor,” Swartz said of LaVine, who has been rumored to be trade target of the Philadelphia 76ers.