February 9, 2026 | Barclays Center | 7:30 PM ET | YES Network, NBC Sports Chicago

Everything’s different now.

After the trade deadline tornado that ripped through our roster, the Chicago Bulls (24–29) are basically a brand new team. Vooch is gone. Coby’s gone. Ayo’s gone. In their place: Anfernee Simons, Jaden Ivey, Collin Sexton, and Rob Dillingham.

We’re younger, faster, and completely unpredictable. We’re also riding a four-game losing streak while everyone tries to figure out where they’re supposed to be on the court.

Tonight we face the Brooklyn Nets (14–37), who’ve been bad all season but occasionally show signs of life at Barclays Center. If there was ever a game to get these new guys their first win together, this is it.

What Just Happened to Our Roster

Let’s address the elephant in the room. The front office blew it up. Whether you think it was the right move or not, this is a completely different Bulls team than the one that beat Brooklyn 124–102 back in January.

Who’s Gone:

• Nikola Vučević
• Coby White
• Ayo Dosunmu

Who’s Here:

• Anfernee Simons (explosive scorer, can get buckets in bunches)
• Jaden Ivey (athletic freak, all energy and potential)
• Collin Sexton (instant offense off the bench)
• Rob Dillingham (young, fast, fearless)

We went from veteran stability to youthful chaos. The spacing is different. The rotations are different. Everything’s different. And right now, we’re 11th in the East trying to figure it all out on the fly.

The Brooklyn Nets: Bad, But Not Dead

Record: 14–37 (13th in East)

Brooklyn has been terrible this season, especially against good teams (5–24 vs. winning records). But they’re scrappy at home and have won 2 of their last 5 at Barclays Center.

Cam Thomas can get hot and drop 30 on any given night. Mikal Bridges is solid on both ends. Ben Simmons… well, he’s still Ben Simmons. Some nights he looks engaged, most nights he doesn’t.

Their problem is depth. Once you get past their top guys, there’s not much there. And defensively, they’ve got holes everywhere—which should work in our favor if we can actually execute.

What Happened Last Game (Spoiler: Not Good)

Bulls lost to Toronto 123–107

We got torched. The Raptors shot 56.3% from the field, and our perimeter defense was nonexistent. When you’re integrating four new rotation players, defensive communication breaks down. Guys miss rotations. Coverage gets confused. And teams just carve you up.

That’s where we are right now—talented but discombobulated.

Head-to-Head: Who Has the Edge?

The truth is, on paper, we should win this game. Brooklyn’s defense is bad, we’ve got more talent, and they’re already basically playing out the string.

But we’re also trying to build chemistry in real-time against an NBA opponent. That’s not easy.

What Needs to Happen for Chicago to Win

DeMar Has to Be the Steady Hand

With all these new pieces flying around, DeRozan is the one constant. He needs to control the pace, make the right reads, and get everyone involved. When things get chaotic (and they will), we need his veteran presence to calm things down.

Anfernee Simons Needs a Signature Game

Bulls fans are still getting to know Simons. This is his chance to make a first impression. If he comes out aggressive, knocks down threes, and shows why the front office traded for him, it’ll give everyone confidence in this new direction.

Protect the Ball

Both teams average over 13 turnovers per game. With our new roster still learning each other’s tendencies, we’re going to have some sloppy possessions. But if we can keep it under 15 turnovers while forcing Brooklyn into mistakes, we control the tempo.

Hit Threes Consistently

We went 14-for-34 from deep against Toronto, which is solid. If we can replicate that—especially with Simons, Sexton, and Ivey getting good looks—Brooklyn won’t be able to keep up. Their defense doesn’t rotate well, so open threes should be there.

Bench Has to Produce

Brooklyn’s bench is awful. Ours is young and athletic. Sexton and Dillingham coming off the pine with energy should swing momentum in our favor during those middle-of-the-quarter minutes.

The Betting Lines

• Spread: Bulls -4.5
• Over/Under: 228.5
• Moneyline: Bulls -180, Nets +150

Vegas likes us in this one, which makes sense. Brooklyn is 1–6 against the spread in their last 7 home games. We’ve covered in 3 of our last 5 road games against sub-.500 teams.

The over/under at 228.5 feels about right for two teams that don’t play much defense and like to push pace.

Bulls Fan Prediction: Breaking the Losing Streak

Final Score: Bulls 115, Nets 108

Look, I’m not going to pretend this new roster is suddenly going to look like the ’96 Bulls. There will be confusion. There will be blown rotations. Someone will forget a play call, and DeMar will have to improvise.

But Brooklyn is bad. And we have more talent, even if we’re still figuring out how to use it.

I think Simons gets hot in the third quarter and gives us a spark. DeRozan does his mid-range thing in crunch time. Ivey makes a couple athletic plays that get the bench hyped. And Brooklyn’s lack of depth catches up to them down the stretch.

It won’t be pretty, but we’ll get the win. Chemistry takes time, but talent usually wins out against a 14-win team.

Why This Game Actually Matters

We’re four games under .500 and sitting in 11th place. The play-in is slipping away. This isn’t about the playoffs anymore—it’s about establishing an identity with this new core moving forward.

If Simons, Ivey, Sexton, and Dillingham can show flashes of what they might become together, at least we have something to build on for next season. If they look completely lost and we drop our fifth straight to a terrible Brooklyn team, then the front office has some serious questions to answer.

Either way, this is the new reality. Might as well embrace the chaos and see what these young guys can do.

New era. Same colors. Let’s go Bulls!

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