Tag: NBA Free Agency

Bulls’ Ayo Dosunmu listed as fifth-best bargain bin free agent left

Chicago Bulls free agent Ayo Dosunmu is one of the best free agents left on the market.

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The Chicago Bulls are in an interesting spot. While they have expressed their desire to avoid a rebuild in favor of pushing for the postseason, their roster isn’t quite good enough to guarantee a playoff spot. However, they’ve tried their best to change that this summer in free agency.

Chicago re-signed Nikola Vucevic and Coby White and brought in free agents Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig. While the overall depth of their roster looks better, the Bulls have not yet brought back Ayo Dosunmu, a restricted free agent. There has been little news about his status.

According to Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report, Dosunmu is the fifth-best bargain bin free agent left on the market.

“After a promising rookie season in which he averaged 8.8 points per game and shot 37.6 percent from three, Ayo Dosunmu was thrust into a bigger role with the Chicago Bulls in 2022-23,” Buckley wrote. “That seemed to stretch him a bit too far.

“His scoring didn’t drop much (from 8.8 to 8.6), but his three-point percentage plummeted to 31.2. His assist percentage tumbled, too.

“Dosunmu now finds himself still hunting for an offer sheet in late July, after most of free agency has already played out. It’s far too early to give up on the 23-year-old, though.

“Dosunmu might not be a starting point guard, but he’s demonstrated an ability to be a secondary playmaker in lineups with ball-dominant wings. His 6’8″ wingspan also makes him a tricky defender for opposing guards to get around.”

Should the Bulls look to bring back Dosunmu next year?

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Bulls urged to pursue Austin Rivers as free agency steal

Should the Chicago Bulls look to sign Austin Rivers in free agency?

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The Chicago Bulls began the offseason with big goals ahead of them. They had no interest in tearing down the roster. Instead they set their sights on improving the ceiling of the team around Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic, who they re-signed at the beginning of the summer.

They followed Vucevic’s extension by bringing back Coby White and signing Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig in free agency. While the bulk of free agency has come and gone, however, the Bulls still have time to add pieces to their squad, and Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report suggested a few options.

Among the options, Buckley brought up the idea of Chicago adding Austin Rivers in an article titled “Bulls Minimum Contracts to Pursue as Late NBA Free Agency Steals.”

“He would give this group more experience (including 64 career playoff games), an ability to play either guard spot, some pesky perimeter defense and maybe more offense than he’s shown of late,” Buckley wrote. “He had a two-year stretch earlier in his career when he shot a strong percentage from three (37.5) on decent volume (4.9 attempts per game), so maybe there’s hope of him getting his groove back on that end.

And, to be clear, he hasn’t been disastrous on offense in recent seasons. His scoring output has plummeted (career-lows each of the past two seasons), but he’s been a 35.3 percent shooter from range since the start of 2019-20.”

Rivers appeared in 52 games for the Minnesota Timberwolves this past year, playing 19.5 minutes per contest. He averaged 4.9 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists while shooting 43.5% from the field and 35% from distance.

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Bulls ‘can afford to wait and see’ with Ayo Dosunmu’s free agency

Should the Chicago Bulls look to bring back Ayo Dosunmu next year?

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As the offseason began, the Chicago Bulls had their eyes facing forward with intentions of improving. While some believe they should tear down the roster and rebuild, team officials made it clear they are committed to making it back to the postseason next year and had no interest in a roster reset.

While they’ve made a flurry of free agency moves, an outstanding issue still needs to be resolved before the beginning of next season. Ayo Dosunmu is a restricted free agent, yet there has been very little news regarding whether he’ll be back in Chicago.

But according to KC Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, the Bulls can “afford to wait and see,” as they already have Coby White, Jevon Carter and others in place.

“Even if Dosunmu does return, he’s projected to be the fifth guard behind Zach LaVine, Carter, White and (Alex) Caruso,” Johnson wrote. “But his situation actually is quite simple: The Bulls can afford to wait to see if he gets an offer sheet before deciding whether or not to match and, in lieu of that, can sign him to a team-friendly, longer-term deal, target a sign-and-trade opportunity or bring him back on the qualifying offer.”

Last season, Dosunmu played well, but he failed to significantly improve upon his rookie season. He averaged 8.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 49.3% from the field and 31.2% from behind the 3-point line.

Should the Bulls look to bring back Dosunmu?

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Report: Chicago Bulls are potential landing spot for Christian Wood

The Chicago Bulls are reportedly a potential suitor for free agent big man Christian Wood.

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After losing in the play-in tournament this past year, the Chicago Bulls set their sights on improvement. They had no interest in rebuilding and instead chose to build up their roster this summer rather than tear it down, which many considered the more enticing option. In turn, the moves they’ve made have helped improve the team’s ceiling.

Chicago re-signed Nikola Vucevic and Coby White and signed Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig in free agency, improving the team’s overall depth. They traded into the draft to select Julian Phillips and signed Adama Sanogo to a two-way deal after the draft. But the Bulls might not be done.

According to Dan Woike of the LA Times, the Bulls are a potential landing spot for free agent big man Christian Wood.

“According to sources familiar with the team’s free-agent pursuits but not authorized to speak publicly, the Chicago Bulls are suddenly viewed as a potential threat that could keep the Lakers from landing Wood.

The reason? Chicago recently gained a $10.2-million player exception because of Lonzo Ball’s knee injury that’s expected to keep him off the court next season. The Bulls can use some or all of that money to acquire a player via trade or sign a player to a one-year free-agent deal,” Woike wrote when discussing the idea of Wood joining the Lakers.

Wood has gone unsigned through the bulk of the free agency period, but with Chicago’s Lonzo Ball disabled player exception, they could have a pathway to bring him on board.

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Bulls ‘still very high’ on Ayo Dosunmu despite lack of news

The Chicago Bulls are supposedly “still very high” on Ayo Dosunmu despite the lack of free agency news.

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The Chicago Bulls have remained super active this summer, both internally and externally, as they have pushed for improvement rather than tearing the roster down. Arturas Karnisovas made it clear that he had no intention of rebuilding the roster, as the Bulls just ended a rebuild two years ago.

They kicked off the offseason by re-signing Nikola Vucevic, and once free agency began, they also inked Coby White to a new contract. Chicago then brought in two veteran free agents, Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig. However, the Bulls still have some work to do, as Ayo Dosunmu is still a restricted free agent.

Keith Smith of Spotrac spoke to some members of Chicago’s staff while in Las Vegas for Summer League, and one told him that the Bulls are still high on Dosunmu.

“We’re still very high on Ayo,” they told Smith. “This is how restricted free agency can go sometimes. Don’t read anything into our opinion of him as a player just because he isn’t signed.”

Depsite Chicago’s activity, Dosunmu is still unsigned, and he has not officially received any offer sheets from other teams. And on top of that, there has been a complete lack of news in regard to his free agency.

In the Bulls’ defense, some other restricted free agents, namely PJ Washington, still remain unsigned, too.

But if Chicago lets Dosunmu walk for nothing, it would be a massive failure for the Bulls, as they cannot afford to let any players walk without getting something back in return.

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Bulls free agency saw them drop five spots in NBA Power Rankings

The Chicago Bulls moved down in the NBA Power Rankings after their free agency.

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The Chicago Bulls entered the offseason fresh off a disappointing end to this past year. They were bounced in the play-in tournament by the Miami Heat, and since their all-in moves two years ago, they have won a single playoff game. Instead of rebuilding, the Bulls decided to push forward.

In free agency, they re-signed Nikola Vucevic and Coby White while adding key depth pieces on the open market, bringing in Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig. And while both players should give the Bulls bench a nice boost, the rest of the league improved in free agency, too.

According to Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report, the Bulls are the 23rd-best team in the league post-free agency. Before it, they ranked 18th.

“Outside of applying for a disabled player exception for Lonzo Ball, who’s likely to miss the entire 2023-24 season, the Chicago Bulls didn’t do anything dramatic in free agency.

“The additions of Jevon Carter (perhaps a cheaper facsimile of Ball) and Torrey Craig are decent fringe moves, but they certainly don’t guarantee an escape from mediocrity. That might require a big move to unload one or all of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević (who just re-signed for three more years) and some patience to wait out a full-scale rebuild.

“Chicago’s hesitance to go that route is understandable, though. Since Michael Jordan’s last season with them in 1997-98, the Bulls are 25th in the league in win percentage. Most of those two-and-a-half decades have felt like a long, largely unsuccessful slog.

“Even a glimmer of hope, which the big scoring nights of DeRozan and LaVine can provide, must be tough to let go,” Bailey wrote.

Will the Bulls make the playoffs next year?

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Rim protection is biggest hole on Bulls roster after free agency

The Chicago Bulls could use some additional rim protection on the roster.

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The Chicago Bulls made sure to stay active in free agency this year, both internally and externally. They brought back Nikola Vucevic and Coby White on three-year deals, but they added a couple of solid pieces in the open market. Chicago signed Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig, both of whom will greatly help their depth.

However, just because they added some solid pieces doesn’t mean they have perfected the roster. In fact, they could still use some extra pieces, including more forward depth and additional 3-point shooting. However, neither of those things is Chicago’s biggest area of need, according to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report.

Buckley believes the biggest hole on Chicago’s roster post-free agency is rim protection.

“Chicago once again appears vulnerable on the interior,” Buckley wrote. “The Bulls (improbably) found their way to a top-five defense this past season anyway, but given their personnel, that ranking was never the easiest to trust. Go back to 2021-22, when Chicago first assembled the Vučević-Zach LaVine-DeMar DeRozan trio, and the Bulls were just 23rd in defensive efficiency.”

As of now, Vucevic, Andre Drummond and Adama Sanogo (who is on a two-way deal) make up Chicago’s big man rotation. None of them are particularly skilled at protecting the rim.

Vucevic is an offensive-minded guy, Drummond is a rebounding specialist, and Sanogo is a bit undersized (and a rookie).

Adding another center to the roster who is more apt at defending in the post could be a worthwhile endeavor for the Bulls before the start of next season.

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Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu could be unrestricted free agent next summer

There’s a chance that Chicago Bulls point guard Ayo Dosunmu becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer.

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When free agency opened this summer, the Chicago Bulls made their presence known.

They re-signed Coby White to a three-year deal and brought in point guard Jevon Carter within the first hour. A couple of days later, they signed veteran forward Torrey Craig to a contract. Of course, that doesn’t even take into account Nikola Vucevic‘s contract extension, which came through a couple of days before free agency started.

But one situation still looms: Ayo Dosunmu. The 23-year-old guard remains a free agent, and at this point, it’s hard to say what the outcome with be. However, Elias Schuster of Bleacher Nation believes the situation could be trending toward Dosunmu simply rejoining Chicago on his qualifying offer.

However, that would make him an unrestricted free agent next offseason.

“The fact things have dragged on this long would seemingly suggest that Dosunmu is most likely to return on his $5.2 million qualifying offer,” Schuster wrote. “I feel like if there was a multi-year agreement coming in Chicago, the Bulls would have prioritized getting that contract signed. Now, unless he finds himself receiving a RFA offer sheet from another franchise, he could be in line to hit unrestricted free agency next summer. If I’m being honest, I am hoping another team swoops in to put the pressure on the Bulls. While I know there is a logjam in the backcourt right now, I still think it’s valuable to have young developing talent like Dosunmu on the roster. He is the kind of talent this organization needs to continue to invest in.”

Dosunmu had a relatively disappointing sophomore season, but losing him for nothing would be a rough look for Chicago, whether that be this summer or next.

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Chicago Bulls urged to pursue John Wall in free agency

Should the Chicago Bulls make a run at John Wall in free agency?

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Heading into the summer, it was clear the Chicago Bulls had holes to fill. Arturas Karnisovas made it clear he didn’t want to reset the roster, so the Bulls pushed forward rather than step back. With that being their goal, the Bulls aimed to address their weaknesses.

The signings of Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig will help their need for 3-point shooting and defense, but Chicago could still use some guard depth. Carter is a great get and bringing back Coby White was a good move, too, but adding another point guard to the roster would be helpful.

A veteran option could be the play. Ben Stinar of Sports Illustrated believes the Bulls should go after five-time All-Star John Wall.

“In addition, the Bulls ranked 20th in the NBA for assists per game (24.4).

Wall could likely be signed for a minimum contract at this stage of his career, meaning there would be no downside if he were not a good fit with the team,” Stinar wrote.

Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report reported Wall held a workout for interested teams in Las Vegas this week.

Stinar’s point about Chicago’s passing rings true, and even at this point in his career, Wall would undoubtedly serve as a solid facilitator off the bench for the Bulls.

The only question is, would he accept a role in Chicago as a third-string point guard behind Carter and White? Because that’s likely what his role would be. If he’d be OK with that, it could be a low-risk, high-reward move for the Bulls.

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Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu named one of ‘best remaining NBA free agents’

Chicago Bulls point guard Ayo Dosunmu is one of the best free agents left on the market.

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Despite not landing any stars in free agency or at the draft, the Chicago Bulls have been very active this offseason. They brought back Nikola Vucevic and Coby White on new deals, and they signed two solid free agents, Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig. Both should provide the team with high-level depth.

However, they haven’t completed all of their business for the summer. The biggest outstanding situation is Ayo Dosunmu‘s free agency; the point guard is a restricted free agent and hasn’t come to an agreement with the Bulls yet.

According to Eric Mullin of Yahoo Sports, Dosunmu is one of the best free agents left on the market.

“The Bulls have re-signed Coby White and brought in Jevon Carter so far, but fellow guard Dosunmu remains on the market,” Mullin wrote. “The 2021-22 second-team All-Rookie selection averaged 8.6 points in 26.2 minutes per game last season, shooting 49.3% from the field. The 23-year-old’s 3-point percentage dipped from 37.6% to 31.2% in Year 2.”

Dosunmu had a solid rookie year during the 2021-22 season but failed to capitalize on it by making significant improvements this past season. He’s still a solid defender who can help the Bulls with guard depth.

However, the fact we haven’t heard anything about Dosunmu’s free agency is quite odd. If another team hands him an offer sheet, would the Bulls match it? At this point, that’s a serious question that needs to be asked.

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