The Chicago Bulls should be standing on the brink of a golden opportunity.

Heading into the 2025-26 season, the Eastern Conference is in a strange — and precarious — position due to paradigm-shifting injuries to some of the league’s top players.

The Boston Celtics are likely to take a year’s reprieve from their stature as the East’s perennial powerhouse after Jayson Tatum ruptured his right Achilles tendon in the conference semifinals. Coming off a jubilant postseason run, the Indiana Pacers are in a similar position after Tyrese Haliburton suffered the same injury in the final game of the NBA Finals.

Taking those two heavy hitters out of the equation seems to remove some of the variability from the outlook in the East. The New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers can be expected to

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