The Chicago Bulls have some interesting offseason decisions ahead of them. Arturas Karnisovas has no interest in rebuilding the team, meaning he will have to make some significant improvements to the roster if the Bulls are to be a playoff contender. They will also need to bring their own free agents back.
Chicago plans to bring Nikola Vucevic back into the fold, and they will likely look to re-sign Ayo Dosunmu. Coby White also needs a new contract, and considering how well the 23-year-old played toward the end of last year, he could be in for a nice payday. John Hollinger of The Athletic believes that number to be nearly $20 million per season.
Using his BORD$ projections, a formula he concocted to estimate a player’s worth on the open market, White could command a contract worth around $18.7 million per season.
“If you didn’t watch the Bulls a lot this year, I can hardly blame you,” Hollinger wrote. “But I can tell you White got significantly better over the course of the year and, at 23, has a pretty strong case to be paid as a top third guard. His restricted free agent status will likely chill his market a bit, especially since the Bulls are trying to win this year (a separate line of inquiry worthy of its own column) and can match any offer sheet.”
Hollinger also noted that he doesn’t think White’s actual contract will reach his BORD$ value, instead predicting a value of around $15 million per season.
“Paying White as a third guard has more utility for the Bulls than some other teams as well, given that Alex Caruso is constantly injured and Zach LaVine has battled knee issues,” Hollinger wrote. “I’d be surprised if White’s deal reaches this BORD$ value, but a multi-year deal above the midlevel exception feels like the sweet spot — say, three years between $45 million and $50 million.”
If White continues to develop his game, he could be a great piece for the Bulls moving forward.
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