Tag: Bulls Free Agency

Bulls predicted to retain DeMar DeRozan in free agency

Will DeMar DeRozan return to the Chicago Bulls in free agency?

The Chicago Bulls need to figure out what direction they want to go in this summer. One of the biggest decisions they need to make is whether or not to bring back DeMar DeRozan. Aaron Kellerstrass of Pippen Ain’t Easy believes there is a 90% chance that DeRozan ends up coming back to Chicago next year.

“The Bulls are in a tough situation here, as DeRozan is the heart of the team, their best player and they can’t let him walk for nothing,” Kellerstrass wrote. “But he’s also soon to be 35 years old, so Chicago can’t go crazy with the years in whatever contract they offer him. DeRozan has expressed interest in staying and that seems to be mutual, so I expect them to work out a deal. However, if DeRozan wanted to go chase a ring with a team like Philly, they have cap space and could come sniffing around if they strike out on other targets.

“Unless the Bulls pull off an unlikely sign-and-trade, DeRozan will probably be in Chicago next season.”

Depending on the price, bringing back DeRozan is a pretty “meh” choice for the Bulls.

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Will Patrick Williams re-sign with the Chicago Bulls in free agency?

Could the Chicago Bulls lose Patrick Williams in free agency?

The Chicago Bulls have a bunch of big choices to make in free agency this year. Chief among them is what to do with DeMar DeRozan, but Patrick Williams is a restricted free agent. Will he be back? Aaron Kellerstrass of Pippen Ain’t Easy believes there is a 55% chance Williams will be back in Chicago next year.

“This might be the toughest one on the list, as they can’t overpay to keep Williams, but don’t want to lose a 22-year-old wing player with upside for nothing,” Kellerstrass wrote. “The Bulls will have to extend the qualifying offer ($13 million) to make Williams a restricted free agent, and even that is a risk, as he might just accept it.

“There are also teams with cap space like the Pistons who might try to pry Williams away by making him an offer the Bulls don’t want to match. This one is in Chicago’s control, as they can match any offer, but how high do they really want to go for a guy who has yet to live up to his potential? A deal in the 4 years/$50 million range might be the minimum it will take for him to stay in Chicago.”

Losing Williams for nothing would be ugly for the Bulls.

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Andre Drummond could end up leaving Bulls in free agency

Will the Chicago Bulls lose Andre Drummond in free agency this offseason?

Free agency will be an interesting time for the Chicago Bulls as they look to potentially reshape their roster. One guy who could leave is Andre Drummond, who will be an unrestricted free agent. Aaron Kellerstrass of Pippen Ain’t Easy believes that there is only a 25% chance that Drummond is back in Chicago next year.

“Drummond had a good year for the Bulls, so there may be some interest in bringing him back, but it’s going to cost more than $3.3 million,” Kellerstrass wrote. “Drummond established himself as one of the better backup centers in the league, and while his next contract won’t break the bank, he is still only 30 and can likely find a more lucrative long-term deal from someone.

“The Bulls need depth at center, and I’m sure they’d love to bring Drummond back at the right price, but with other teams out there with cap space and needs of their own, Drummond may find a better deal than the one the Bulls are willing to offer.”

Drummond has played well during his time with the Bulls, but it would make sense for both parties to move on.

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Torrey Craig predicted as most likely Bulls free agent to leave

It seems likely that Torrey Craig will move on from the Chicago Bulls.

The Chicago Bulls have a few guys who could end up leaving in free agency this year. Aaron Kellerstrass of Pippen Ain’t Easy wrote an article predicting the likelihood of each of them coming back. He believes that Torrey Craig only has a 10% chance of returning to Chicago – the lowest percentage of the bunch.

“Craig can opt out of the final year of his deal and hit free agency,” wrote Kellerstrass. “He has to make his decision by June 29th and is likely waiting to size up his options. At 33-years-old, Craig may look for a better situation for minutes and/or a run at a title, or he could opt out in search of one last multi-year deal.

“Craig can likely get more from some other team and the Bulls may let him.”

During his time in Chicago, Craig dealt with a ton of injuries, and he just doesn’t seem like a long-term part of the Bulls’ future.

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Chicago Bulls predicted to lose DeMar DeRozan in free agency

Could the Chicago Bulls lose DeMar DeRozan in free agency?

The Chicago Bulls roster could look a lot different next season. Most notably, star forward DeMar DeRozan will be a free agent, and Chicago could lose him for nothing. In fact, Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report predicts that just that will happen: The Bulls will lose DeRozan in free agency.

“A full-scale reboot is long overdue for the Chicago Bulls, and that includes moving or losing Nikola Vučević and DeMar DeRozan. The latter, despite turning 35 in August and having a career 29.6 three-point percentage, could have some interest around the league as a second or third option, or more ideally, a heat-check scorer off the bench.

“In fact, there might even be a contender in the mix for him. According to [HoopsHype’s Michael] Scotto, “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…” Functionally replacing George with DeRozan could cramp up the Clippers’ offense, but he’d get better looks in L.A., playing off of Kawhi Leonard and (presumably) James Harden. And if Chicago can get any value for DeRozan in a sign-and-trade rather than losing him in free agency for nothing, it should jump at the chance.”

Losing DeRozan for nothing after failing to trade him this past year would be brutal.

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Patrick Williams floated as dream free agency target for Raptors

Would Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams make sense for the Toronto Raptors?

The Chicago Bulls have a few different things to focus on this summer. DeMar DeRozan’s free agency is the most obvious, but Patrick Williams is also going to be a restricted free agent. Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report sees him as a potential dream free agency target for the Toronto Raptors.

“The Toronto Raptors’ plan to get younger around Scottie Barnes and add more shooting should continue this summer,” Swartz wrote. “Patrick Williams would be an intriguing target to pursue. The 22-year-old hasn’t blossomed as expected during his four seasons with the Chicago Bulls, yet he has always been a talented three-point shooter. Williams has a career 41.0 percent mark from three across 213 regular-season games.

“Since Williams is able to play and defend either forward position, putting him next to Barnes in the frontcourt would give Toronto a big, versatile combination years away from their respective primes. Toronto would need to make Williams a sizable offer for Chicago not to match an offer sheet in restricted free agency, or the two sides could agree to a sign-and-trade.”

Should the Bulls re-sign Williams? Or does it all depend on the price?

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DeMar DeRozan listed as Lakers dream free agency target this summer

Could the Los Angeles Lakers steal DeMar DeRozan from the Chicago Bulls in free agency?

The Chicago Bulls have some big-time decisions to make this summer, and one of them revolves around whether or not to re-sign DeMar DeRozan. Other teams could try to steal him away. According to Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report, DeRozan could be a dream free agency target for the Los Angeles Lakers.

“This is quite a pipe dream, especially since DeMar DeRozan could make eight times as much money by returning to the Chicago Bulls next season,” Swartz wrote. “Still, DeRozan himself hasn’t ruled out signing with the Los[lawrence-auto-related count=3] Angeles Lakers, who were his favorite team while he grew up in Compton, California.

“For a player who’s made over a quarter-billion dollars in his NBA career (not counting endorsements), taking the Lakers’ $5.2 million taxpayer MLE and joining LeBron James (a potential free agent himself), Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and others on a Lakers team packed with talent may be appealing for DeRozan. DeRozan might not be a perfect fit, but he is easily the most talented player whom the Lakers would have a chance at signing with their taxpayer MLE.”

If DeRozan signed with the Lakers, he would get a chance to play for one of his home-town teams.

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Shooting listed as one of Chicago Bulls top needs this offseason

The Chicago Bulls need to add some three-point shooting to their roster this summer.

The Chicago Bulls are firmly stuck in the middle. But regardless if they want to plan for the future or push for the postseason, they need to add three-point shooting to the roster. Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report listed shooting as one of the Bulls’ top needs this summer.

“The Bulls seemingly leaned heavily onto the offensive end when they pinned their hopes to the trio of DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević,” Buckley wrote. “Then, they watched Coby White take silver in the Most Improved Player voting largely on the strength of his offensive ascension. And yet, this offense has been totally underwhelming. The Bulls landed just 19th in efficiency on the game’s glamour end this season, per NBA.com, and that was actually an improvement from last season.

“There are different factors behind this inefficiency, but one that’s both obvious and hard to overcome is a general lack of shooting. Few Bulls attempt threes at a high volume—White and LaVine were the only ones with five-plus attempts per game—and not enough convert them at a high clip. Vučević’s regression in this department (40 percent in 2020-21, 32 since) has been an absolute space-killer for a team that didn’t have a ton of breathing room to begin with.”

Chicago needs to bring in some three-point shooting to help Coby White or whoever they roll into next season with.

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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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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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