With the NBA trade deadline and All-Star weekend officially in the books, the Chicago Bulls returned to practice with their sights set on the second half of the season.

The team's roster looks quite different from the way it did just three weeks ago, and the new players and veterans alike will need to work fast to find cohesion.

Bulls guard Josh Giddey, forward Matas Buzelis and assistant coach Wes Unseld Jr. spoke to the media on Wednesday morning. Here's what we learned from the team's post-practice media session, along with injury updates, coaching changes and more:

Billy Donovan's father, Bill Donovan Sr., passed away on Saturday at the age of 85. The Bulls' head coach attended the funeral on Wednesday in Gainesville, Florida, and will not return in time for Thursday's game against the Raptors.

Assistant head coach Wes Unseld Jr., who led the Washington Wizards for three seasons from 2021 to 2024, will serve as Chicago's acting head coach in the Bulls' first game following the All-Star break. Donovan is expected to fly back to Chicago and rejoin the team on Friday evening.

Josh Giddey, who missed 19 of the last 23 games with a left hamstring strain, said he feels good and plans to play on Thursday against Toronto.

Tre Jones has been playing 3-on-3 with Giddey while recovering from a similar injury, which has kept him out since Jan. 24. While he did not explicitly state that Jones would also return against the Raptors, Unseld said the Bulls would "have some guys on minutes restrictions" in the short term when managing the team's backcourt-heavy rotations.

Unseld also said he is excited to get Jalen Smith back. The big man (right calf strain) missed five of the last seven games heading into the All-Star weekend.

The last time Josh Giddey saw live game action, the Bulls were .500 and competing for an Eastern Conference playoff spot. Chicago has dropped seven of eight games since then and has a vastly different roster from before.

Arturas Karnisovas traded away Coby White, Nikola Vucevic, Ayo Dosunmu and more at the deadline in favor of young talent and a boatload of second-round draft capital. The Bulls are far from tanking, though, and Giddey still intends to lead his team to wins when he returns.

"For me, nothing's changed," Giddey said. "Winning is still the No. 1 priority. You kind of have to shift your mindset from continuity, everyone knows each other, to now, you've got basically 50% of a new team coming in. You've got to learn how guys play. You've got to integrate new guys into the offense and defense. So your perspective changes on how you play, but for me, I think winning is above all. If guys buy into what we're doing, I think we'll be alright."

Although the human aspect of losing friends and close relationships has certainly played a factor, Giddey is well aware that the NBA is a business, and it's unforgiving.

"Us as players know, whatever the front office is doing, whether it's trades or bringing in [other players], our job is to go out there and win games. We don't look too deep into what the plan is moving forward. We try to take it one day at a time, one game at a time. This is the team now for the last 27 games. This is who we've got. We're going to go to war with each other, and when the summer comes, the front office will make decisions that they think are right for this team and moving forward."

At just 21 years old, Matas Buzelis is already one of the longest-tenured Bulls after the team's trade deadline shakeup. Only Patrick Williams (2020 NBA Draft) and Giddey (traded to Chicago five days before Buzelis was drafted) have been rostered longer than the 2024 first-round pick.

But as the Bulls aim to incorporate a plethora of new additions, Buzelis finds himself in an unfamiliar position as one of the team's leaders. It's a role he's looking to quickly grow into, despite his youth.

"I would say a little bit [it's weird], but I've always wanted to be a leader and be more vocal," Buzelis said. "I feel like this is an opportunity to show what I can do and try to lead the guys, try to steer the guys in the right direction. With all the help from Stix, Giddey, all those guys that have been around, it's going to be easier for me, but I'm just trying to be more vocal out there."

The Bulls will begin the second half of their season with a seven-game homestand, beginning on Thursday night. Chicago's game against the Raptors is set to tip off at 7:00 p.m. CT.