The Chicago Bulls are primed to be one of the more active teams this offseason after a mediocre 2023-24 that saw them finish the season as the ninth seed with a 39-43 record. Their season ended with a second-round play-in exit at the hands of the Miami Heat. That meant a second straight season of potential playoff basketball ending at the play-in stage. With a host of upcoming free agents and multiple desirable assets, they could affect the NBA landscape in more ways than one. So, what’s Next for the Chicago Bulls this offseason?
2024 NBA Offseason Preview: What’s Next for the Chicago Bulls?
Season Recap
The Chicago Bulls had an underwhelming season, at least by the standards expected of their cap situation. Not many around the league expected them to come out of the East with their big three of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic. Still, they were expected to be competitive in a weaker East. At least their cap suggested that. Their cap space was at $166.34 million, good for the 16th highest in the league.
To be fair to the Bulls, they dealt with a host of injuries that never really allowed their season to take off. It’s hard to get any consistency when your injury report often includes four, five, or more names every night. Lonzo Ball remains one of the most significant puzzle pieces to the Bulls’ roster. Ball hasn’t played on an NBA floor in over two years. He’s undergone three separate surgeries on his right knee since January 2022, the last of which included a cartilage transplant. Coming into the season, he was seen as the key to unlocking the Bulls’ next level on offense with his preternatural playmaking.
The next domino to fall would be LaVine. He initially got injured on Nov. 28 during a blowout loss to the Boston Celtics. LaVine exited the game with right foot inflammation. LaVine’s 2023-24 season would eventually be cut short by a pair of injuries to his right foot. He appeared in just 25 games.
Patrick Williams had to undergo season-ending surgery after developing a foot stress reaction in his bone edema. The fourth-year player appeared in just 43 games. Two-way revelation Onuralp Bitim wasn’t immune from the injury bug. He suffered a detached retina, which required season-ending surgery. He appeared in 23 games in his rookie campaign. Even Alex Caruso dealt with nagging injuries throughout the season. However, that didn’t stop him from securing an All-Defensive second-team spot.
Every cloud has a silver lining
Every cloud has a silver lining. This was especially true in Chicago, where some players got a new lease on life due to injury absences. Coby White had a career year, which was ultimately rewarded with second place in the Most Improved Player Award voting. Ayo Dosunmu‘s game grew by leaps and bounds. He solidified his spot on the roster and gave the Bulls much-needed options at the guard position.
DeRozan did what DeRozan does. His skill as a mid-range maestro has been known for years in the league. He’s a six-time NBA All-Star, after all. Still, he took it to another level this past year, especially in the clutch. He finished second behind Stephen Curry for the Jerry West Clutch Player of the Year award.
The Bulls found success in clutch games. They led the league in clutch victories. The Bulls finished 27-17 last season, and their net rating of plus-23.5 ranked second behind only the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets.
Projected Cap Space and Draft Picks
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Over the Cap
The Bulls will have a projected -$75 million in cap space if they re-sign all their free agents and draft-day selections. If they renounce or waive all exceptions, cap holds, and options, they will raise just a measly $8 million in cap space. They have some flexibility, though. They have either the Non-Taxpayer Mid-level or the Bi-annual Exceptions to use to sign other teams’ free agents.
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11th Overall Draft Pick
Primary Targets:
The Bulls recently acquired Josh Giddey from the Oklahoma City Thunder, sending Alex Caruso in the opposite direction in a straight swap. Giddey has the upside of being able to run an NBA offense as a combo guard or as a point forward.
By gaining a potentially potent offensive player, they lost a relentless defender in Caruso. Enter Devin Carter. Carter sounds the most in this draft like Caruso with that point-of-attack prowess and the ability to defend multiple positions. There are questions about Carter’s three-point consistency however, the Bulls hired a renowned shooting coach Peter Patton a year ago. Slashing, disrupting, and intelligence also sound a lot like Caruso and could ease the sting of losing him in the Josh Giddey trade.
Ron Holland is another interesting option. Another super athletic prospect with a jump shot that can be best described as a work-in-progress. He’s among the youngest prospects in this year’s draft. So the Bulls drafting him could signal them moving on from their older core.
Kel’el Ware or Zach Edey gives them Andre Drummond insurance and a Vucevic heir-apparent in a few years. Kel’el can space the floor. With the Celtics’ five-out system easing them to an 18th banner, expect to see teams replicate their roster construction. The Bulls will be in line with that curve by selecting him with the 11th pick. Or they could go old-school by drafting the 7’4″ post-friendly behemoth in Zach.
The Bulls could keep this pick and use it to trade for a ready-made NBA star. One thing is for sure: whatever is next for the Chicago Bulls, they have options.
Pending Free Agents and Possible Departures
Free Agents:
- DeMar DeRozan (Unrestricted)
- Patrick Williams (Restricted)
- Andre Drummond (Unrestricted)
- Javonte Green (Unrestricted)
- Torrey Craig (Player Option)
- Henri Drell (Restricted/Two-way contract)
- Adama Sanogo (Restricted/Two-way contract)
The belief around the league is that DeRozan will re-sign with the Bulls. However, with the Giddey trade the Bulls might commit to a full rebuild. Javonte Green returned to the Bulls initially on a 10-day contract. He had spent time with the Santa Cruz Warriors. After getting a second shot at NBA basketball with this organization, it’s hard to imagine him signing elsewhere.
That leaves Drummond as the biggest risk. He averaged 8.4 points and 9.0 rebounds in just 17 minutes of action per game. Rebounding is still an extremely valuable skill in the NBA. At 30 years old, this could be his final big contract.
Williams is a restricted free agent, so Chicago has some control over his future. His situation is one of the more intriguing storylines of the summer. Although the fourth overall pick in 2020, his career has been somewhat disappointing so far, but at 22 years old, he still has significant potential. It’s possible that he might receive a higher-than-expected offer, and it’s uncertain how the Bulls would respond.
Craig has a $2.8 million player option, which is likely close to his market value, making his decision uncertain. Lastly, two-way contract players Drell and Sanogo are also restricted free agents.
Trade Pieces
- Zach LaVine
- Nikola Vucevic
- DeMar DeRozan
- Lonzo Ball
The Bulls’ front office remains unclear about the direction they will take heading into this year’s offseason. Could they retool the roster by trading one asset or go into a full rebuild by trading two or more of their core players? LaVine has been in trade rumors for ages. The time may have come for the front office to pull the plug. His injury history and contract size mean he might not fetch that much for the Bulls, though.
Vucevic is on the wrong side of 33, and his defense will only get worse. Like LaVine, he won’t have a ton of trade value. Still, there are teams like the Grizzlies and Thunder that need to size down low. DeRozan easily has the most value of their core. As an elite shot-maker at his age, DeRozan will have a multitude of interested teams.
Realistic Off-Season Targets
Trade:
The Bulls need three-point shooting. They made just 11.3 threes per game, good for 28th in the league. Dorian Finney-Smith and Kevin Huerter present low-risk fixes. Dorian has shot about 34.2% from three for the past two years. Don’t be scared away though. He shot 39% from three during his final two seasons with the Mavericks. It’s evident that the drop-off could be as a result of a drop in the quality of playmaking talent around him.
Huerter is a career 38.2 percent three-point shooter. The 6’7″ marksman could be a really good get for Chicago. Huerter offers the right blend of volume and efficiency to demand constant attention from opposing defenses, meaning his mere court presence would help widen attack lanes for White and DeRozan.
Smith is an interesting trade target. After reviving his NBA value at Indiana, it could be time for him to leave to get opportunities. The Indiana frontcourt is stacked. The Bulls, on the other hand, are a bit light in that department. With his unique ability to block shots and make threes, he will offer value with more game time.
Free Agents:
– Goga Bitadze
– Derrick Jones Jr.
– Taurean Prince
As stated earlier, the Bulls are more or less capped out barring any earth-shattering trade. The Bulls’ best tool to add talent in free agency is their Non-Taxpayer Mid-level Exception ($12.6 million). They could use it all on one of these players or, more prudently, use it on a couple of free agents.
