It really isn’t even about what the Bulls do at this point.

Even if the front office, led by executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley, had a clear plan at the halfway point of the regular season, it’s almost too late to carry it out.

Yes, the two had a chance to watch the Bulls lose their fourth consecutive game Friday, falling to the hapless Hornets 125-123. But that was only half the bad news.

The 76ers announced earlier in the day that star center Joel Embiid again is going to miss some time because of swelling in his knee. The 76ers are sitting just below the Bulls (18-24) in the Eastern Conference standings but seemed poised to run them down and catch them.

Then there’s the dysfunction with Jimmy Butler in Miami. The Heat got the former Bulls star back in the mix after a suspension, only to get blown out at home Friday by the Nuggets. If the Heat continue spiraling, that’s another team in the Eastern Conference that could fall below the Bulls in the standings.

So as mediocre and inconsistent as the Bulls have been this season, their direction might be chosen for them.

Obviously, the stakes have been pointed out time and time again: The Bulls will lose their first-round pick in June to the Spurs if it doesn’t fall in the top 10. And with guard Zach LaVine and center Nikola Vucevic on the roster, the Bulls — believe it or not — still might not be bad enough to make that happen.

They were plenty bad against the Hornets (10-28) in the fourth quarter.

After basically disappearing for the start of the fourth and letting the Hornets take full control with a 21-2 burst to start the quarter, it was almost as though embarrassment kicked in and enough was enough.

A three-pointer by Coby White cut the Bulls’ deficit to eight with 4:18 left. Vucevic, who finished with 40 points and 13 rebounds, then scored six consecutive points to pull the Bulls to two before the Hornets’ LaMelo Ball ended the streak with a free throw to make it a three-point game. Vucevic, however, responded with another basket to pull the Bulls to one with 1:47 left.

After the teams traded two free throws apiece, Vasilije Micic added a free throw to give the Hornets a two-point lead with 12.9 seconds left.

Before the game, Bulls coach Billy Donovan discussed which of his players would be called on late in games to play hero and, of course, singled out LaVine.

LaVine got the ball in his hands off a dribble handoff from Vucevic, drove to the hoop, then kicked the ball back out to Vucevic after he was double-teamed. Vucevic was wide-open behind the three-point arc but missed the shot. LaVine ran down the long rebound, but his prayer at the horn was not answered.

‘‘It felt good,’’ Vucevic said of his shot. ‘‘I thought it was a good look for us. Felt good when it left my hand and came up a bit short. It’s unfortunate. We put ourselves in a very difficult position, and you shouldn’t be in that situation to have to rely on a last shot to win the game. We just didn’t do enough to deserve to win, quite honestly.’’

Vucevic’s immediate hope is that this losing streak ends quickly.

‘‘I think we’re resilient enough to fight through this,’’ Vucevic said. ‘‘But we’ve got to do the right things to get it done. It’s not going to be just because we want it. We’ve got to execute the little things that will get us the win.’’

The draft is three weeks away now. GM Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson have pieced together an off-season that is earning widespread praise across the league. The question is whether they can stick the landing with their 1st round pick in the draft. Current projections have the top three picks likely being a mix of Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, and Abdul Carter. After that, it gets tricky. People in Chicago want to know where running back Ashton Jeanty will end once the dust settles.

Widespread belief has been that the Las Vegas Raiders are the heavy favorites to take him at 6th overall, with New Orleans at #9 also being a possibility. It makes sense. Las Vegas’ best option right now is a 33-year-old Raheem Mostert. New Orleans knows Alvin Kamara turns 30 in July. Both teams need to think about the future at that position. Both have head coaches who like to run the ball. One thing is clear. A source told SM that those around the league believe one thing is certain.

“He likely won’t get passed Chicago if he falls that far.”

Ashton Jeanty is a strong probability for the Bears.

Whispers from Halas Hall indicate they love the Boise State star. It isn’t hard to see why. He nearly broke Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record in 2024, nearly winning the Heisman in the process. The guy carried his team to the college football playoffs. He’s built like a brick house with power, speed, contact balance, and vision. There aren’t any truly glaring weaknesses in his game. He’s earned comparisons to the likes of LaDainian Tomlinson and Marshawn Lynch. The Bears haven’t had a back of that caliber since Matt Forte.

Try to imagine what this offense could look like with Ashton Jeanty, Rome Odunze, D.J. Moore, and Cole Kmet all as options for quarterback Caleb Williams. Throw all of it into Johnson’s offense, and you can understand why some people around the league aren’t wild about the idea. They are quietly hoping Jeanty goes somewhere else. One thing is certain. If he gets past the Raiders, the noise will get loud in a hurry. It would mark the first time in 20 years the Bears have taken a running back in the 1st round.