Bulls Free Agency – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Tobias Harris floated as Bulls’ dream free agency target this summer

Could the Chicago Bulls go after Tobias Harris in free agency?

The Chicago Bulls have a big offseason ahead of them. They have a bunch of different options to consider. Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report recently wrote an article about “dream” free agency targets for every team in the NBA, and for the Bulls, he listed veteran forward Tobias Harris.

“The Chicago Bulls reportedly want to keep DeMar DeRozan, although committing more than $80 million to him and Zach LaVine next season doesn’t seem like a recipe for success,” Swartz wrote. “Even if the Bulls run it back (again), they’ll need some additional help to make the playoffs. Tobias Harris would be a nice veteran pickup regardless of whether DeRozan returns. The 31-year-old averaged 17.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game with the Philadelphia 76ers last season, but his tenure in Philly appears likely to end this summer.

“A core of Coby White, LaVine, DeRozan, Harris and Nikola Vučević features plenty of scoring and would be better equipped to make a playoff run. On his new contract, Harris isn’t likely to earn anywhere close to the $39.3 million he made this past season. He could be in play for Chicago with the $12.9 million non-taxpayer MLE.”

Depending on the price, adding Harris could help the Bulls make the playoffs next year, making the move worth it.

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Report: Clippers could target Demar DeRozan if Paul George leaves

The LA Clippers could go after Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan in free agency.

The Chicago Bulls could lose DeMar DeRozan this summer. He’s set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and while the Bulls supposedly want to bring him back, other teams could look to steal him away. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the LA Clippers could consider bringing in DeRozan if Paul George leaves. DeRozan, a Compton native, would get the chance to play for his hometown team. (H/t Elias Schuster of Bleacher Nation)

“As previously reported on HoopsHype following the lottery, there’s a belief around the league that DeRozan will ultimately re-sign with the Bulls, given the team’s continued desire to compete, his role, and Chicago’s willingness to pay him,” Scotto wrote.

“However, one team worth monitoring as a potential suitor for DeRozan via sign-and-trade is the Los Angeles Clippers, should the franchise fail to re-sign Paul George in free agency, HoopsHype has learned.”

Chicago wants DeRozan back, but his future is wholly uncertain.

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Chris Paul floated as potential free agent target for Bulls

Chris Paul could emerge as a free agency target for the Chicago Bulls, if the Golden State Warriors decide to waive him.

Chris Paul is entering the final year of his contract, which is non-guaranteed and worth $30 million. The Golden State Warriors are expected to either trade the veteran ball-handler or waive him, making him an unrestricted free agent. That’s where the Chicago Bulls come into play, as they could look to add the veteran ball-handler to shore up their second unit.

In a recent article for ESPN, Chris Herring proposed the Bulls acquire Paul if he hits the free agent market. He believes Paul could help unlock Chicago’s offense, either as a bench guard or part of the starting unit, regardless of whether Lonzo Ball is back in the rotation.

“Even if Ball is able to come back now that he’s had a meniscus transplant, Chicago is going to need a table setter, either to serve as a starter as Ball eases into things or to relieve him and play decent minutes,” Herring wrote. “And who better to do that than Paul, who, even as he nears the age of 40, is still a solid offensive player.”

When healthy, Paul was an impressive member of the Warriors rotation. He accepted a bench role for the first time in his career and finished the season with averages of 9.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 6.8 assists on 44.1% shooting from the field and 37.1% from three-point range.

If Paul is willing to sign a team-friendly deal, Chicago could be a logical landing spot for him. He would have a significant role in the rotation and could potentially help the team make a push for the 2025 NBA playoffs. Nevertheless, Paul will undoubtedly have interest from multiple teams around the NBA, as such, Chicago would need to provide an enticing offer.

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Pistons floated as potential ‘surprise landing spot’ for DeMar DeRozan

Is there a chance DeMar DeRozan joins the Detroit Pistons this offseason?

This offseason will be full of decisions for the Chicago Bulls, and one of the biggest revolves around the impending unrestricted free agency of DeMar DeRozan. They’ll need to come to an agreement on a new deal with him if they want him back, but if they don’t, Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report believes the Detroit Pistons could be a potential “surprise landing spot.”

“Whether Detroit should go down this road at all is a separate question, and…actually, you know what? Let’s just answer it,” Hughes wrote. “The Pistons shouldn’t be in the market for 34-year-old non-spacers, no matter how productive they’ve been, with a young roster starved for shooting.

“What’s more, all that cap space would be better utilized as a means to take on bad contracts with picks attached. Adding costly veterans at this juncture would be classic step-skipping—exactly the kind of hasty thinking that gets teams mired in the dreaded middle. But one can at least understand how the brutal last half-decade might spur some rash decisions in Detroit. When you’ve been this bad for this long, mediocrity, which DeRozan has proved he can deliver, looks pretty good.”

If the Bulls truly want to focus on the future, letting DeRozan walk could be what’s best for them.

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Jalen Smith suggested as potential Bulls free agency target

Could the Chicago Bulls target Jalen Smith in free agency this offseason?

The Chicago Bulls should be looking to shake things up this summer in hopes of improving their roster and their future. One guy who they could target is Indiana Pacers big man Jalen Smith, as Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report suggested him among potential free agency targets for Chicago.

“The Bulls should plan on probing the big-man market this summer,” Buckley wrote. “They’ll have no choice if Andre Drummond exits in free agency, but it goes beyond that. Chicago should be prepared for—and, some might argue, pursuing—the possibility of a Nikola Vučević trade between now and his contract’s expiration in 2026. His counting categories might generally impress, but this club has consistently fared better without him throughout his three-plus seasons in the Windy City.

All of the above and more should give the front office reason to consider Jalen Smith, assuming he declines his $5.4 million player option, per Spotrac. Chicago doesn’t always get the shooting or the shot-blocking it needs from the center spot, and Smith is one of few reasonably priced players capable of scratching both itches For his career, he’s been a per-36-minutes supplier of 1.7 threes and 1.5 blocks, per Basketball-Reference, and his outside shot has never looked more promising. This season, he not only splashed a career-high 61 triples (in 61 games), he did so while posting a personal-best 42.4 percent conversion rate.”

Smith’s dynamic offense at the big man position could really help the Bulls on that end of the floor.

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Could the Chicago Bulls target Caleb Martin in free agency?

Caleb Martin could be a potential free agency target for the Chicago Bulls.

The Chicago Bulls should be scouring the market for potential improvements this summer, as they will have a chance to reshape their roster. Though their primary focuses should probably be the trade market and the 2024 NBA Draft, they could also look to add in free agency. Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report suggested they target Caleb Martin.

“The forward spots could be the primary focus for this front office,” Buckley wrote. “They not only need to decide the free-agency fates of DeMar DeRozan (unrestricted) and Patrick Williams (restricted), they also must explore ways of upgrading the rotations behind them. Caleb Martin could be a really smart flier to take whenever he makes the easy call to decline his $7.1 million player option.

“The 28-year-old effectively aced the two-way energizer role over the past three seasons in South Beach. He guards up and down positions, makes enough threes to keep defenders honest (career 35.7) and uses his revved-at-all-times motor to make myriad hustle plays. He has also dropped a few hints at perhaps still having some untapped potential, despite being a 28-year-old role player. There aren’t a ton of support players who’ve delivered a big-stage showing like his masterful run through the 2023 Eastern Conference finals, when he helped the eighth-seeded Heat oust the second-seeded Boston Celtics by averaging 19.3 points with a wholly absurd 60.2/48.9/87.5 shooting slash.”

Adding some 3-and-D forward help to the mix would be great for the Bulls.

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Buddy Hield tops list of potential Bulls free agency targets

If the Chicago Bulls want to improve their roster this summer, one of their top priorities should be to add some three-point shooting to the mix. Zach Buckley recently road a free-agent big board for Chicago, and he put Buddy Hield at the top of the …

“If the Bulls get nothing else done this offseason, they should at least find ways to up their three-point volume,” Buckley wrote. “There is a cap on how efficient this offense can be when it holds bottom-five rankings in three-point makes (27th) and attempts (26th), never mind what better spacing might mean for attackers like DeRozan and Coby White. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Chicago throw the entire non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception at this perimeter deficiency, and if it does, that might be enough to snag Buddy Hield.

“He is an elite outside shooter who routinely wows with volume and efficiency. The 31-year-old is already top-25 all-time in three-point makes (1,924, 22nd), a feat made all the more impressive by the fact he’s also a 40 percent perimeter shooter for his career. Hield is probably hoping for a bigger payout than this, but there aren’t a slew of win-now teams with money to spend, and the 76ers might be focused on bigger-fish pursuits.”

Hield has been one of the best three-point shooters since he’s stepped in the league, and he would undoubtedly help Chicago’s offense.

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Could Bulls’ Patrick Williams sign an offer sheet with the Jazz?

Could Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams sign an offer sheet with the Utah Jazz in free agency?

The Chicago Bulls will have some big-time decisions to make this summer, and a lot of them will come to fruition in free agency. Patrick Williams will be an unrestricted free agent, and while the Bulls have his rights, Dan Favale of Bleacher Report thinks the Utah Jazz should sign him to an offer sheet.

“In the event he puts pen to paper for less than the max, signs a basic extension (140 percent raise) or the parties agree to wait until next summer, Utah has more than enough scratch to inflate the cost of other teams’ free agents—not unlike it did with Paul Reed last year,” Favale wrote. “Team CEO Danny Ainge and general manager Justin Zanik should consider doing the same with Patrick Williams. Granted, there’s more risk involved here. Even with injuries galore in his rear view—including season-ending surgery on his left foot this year—Williams will require a hefty offer sheet to really put pressure on the Chicago Bulls.

“And there’s no guarantee the folks in the Windy City match. They are the biggest wild cards this offseason, and Williams has yet to establish himself as a higher-volume offensive threat. Utah doesn’t need to care. The 22-year-old is a heady defender and capable of rumbling with bigger wings and forwards. If Chicago doesn’t match an offer sheet, the Jazz would meaningfully beef up their perimeter stopping power while unlocking some ultra-huge lineups featuring Williams, Markkanen, Taylor Hendricks, John Collins or Walker Kessler and a guard.”

Losing Williams would be a very tough blow for the Bulls.

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Chicago Bulls will likely find right deal with DeMar DeRozan

It seems very likely that the Chicago Bulls will end up re-signing DeMar DeRozan.

The Chicago Bulls have some big decisions to make this summer. According to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, one of their top focuses at the start of free agency will likely be to find a deal with DeMar DeRozan that makes sense for both parties involved.

“Because this exercise involves predicting what each team would do and not propounding what they should do, there’s no need to dig into the logistical issues of a team like the Bulls, who last won a playoff series in 2015, committing major coin to DeMar DeRozan, who turns 35 before next season tips,” Buckley wrote. “By all accounts, that new contract is coming. While executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas spoke of a general need to make changes to this roster, he also maintained his public commitment to bringing DeRozan back. And the scoring swingman himself has said he isn’t looking for a reason to leave.

“It seems, then, that all there’s left to figure out is contractual terms that make sense for both parties. NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson reported Chicago offered a new two-year pact with an annual salary of “perhaps as much as $40 million per season,” but DeRozan “is seeking a longer-term deal.”

Whether or not the Bulls should re-sign DeRozan is one question, but it seems likely that they will.

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Report: DeMar DeRozan likely to re-sign with Chicago Bulls

DeMar DeRozan is likely going to re-sign with the Chicago Bulls this offseason.

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the belief around the NBA is that DeMar DeRozan will end up re-signing with the Chicago Bulls this summer. The veteran forward is an unrestricted free agent, but recent rumblings have indicated that the Bulls will be willing to pay to bring him back.

“In general, the belief around the league is DeRozan will ultimately re-sign with the Bulls, given the team’s continued desire to compete, his role, and Chicago’s willingness to pay him,” Scotto wrote. DeRozan is 34 years old, but he revived his career in Chicago. The question is, what will the roster look like around him should be return?

The Bulls have Coby White, who just wrapped up a breakout season, and are supposedly looking to trade Zach LaVine this summer. But should they be looking to tear things down instead?

Bringing back DeRozan would signal the Bulls’ willingness to continue competing with the current core, which is clearly not working.

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