View Roster<\/a><\/p>\nPotential Free Agents (10)<\/p>\n
Zach Collins (unrestricted)
Mouhamadou Gueye (restricted – team option)
Yuki Kawamura (restricted – two-way)
Mac McClung (unrestricted – two-way)
Leonard Miller (restricted – team option)
Lachlan Olbrich (restricted – two-way)
Nick Richards (unrestricted), Collin Sexton (unrestricted)
Anfernee Simons (unrestricted)
Guerschon Yabusele (unrestricted)<\/p>\n
Dead Cap (0)<\/p>\n
None<\/p>\n
Projected Signing Exceptions<\/p>\n
Room Exception ($9.4 million)<\/p>\n
Notable Trade Exceptions<\/p>\n
None (All are expected to be renounced for cap space)<\/p>\n
First Round Draft Picks<\/p>\n
#4
#15<\/p>\n
Notable Extension Candidates<\/p>\n
Zach Collins (through June 30)
Leonard Miller (if team option is exercised)
Isaac Okoro (as of September 17)
Nick Richards (through June 30)
Collin Sexton (through June 30)
Anfernee Simons (through June 30)
Jalen Smith (as of July 8)<\/p>\n
Analysis<\/p>\n
The Chicago Bulls are starting over. The Bulls will have a new front office, new coaches and, very likely, a lot of new players. This is as clear of a full rebuild as currently exists in the NBA.<\/p>\n
The good news? It feels like Chicago is finally leaning into actually rebuilding, as opposed to chasing a spot in the Play-In Tournament.<\/p>\n
That said\u2026we\u2019ll see. If new front office head Bryson Graham is forced to use nearly $60 million in cap space to chase mid-range veteran upgrades to shortcut the rebuilding process, then it\u2019ll be same old Bulls.<\/p>\n
However, we\u2019re going to choose to examine the Bulls offseason from the lens that looks like rebuilding, because that appears to be the direction. All of the comments out of Chicago also seem to support embracing a new direction.<\/p>\n
In order for the Bulls to get to that nearly $60 million in cap space, they\u2019d have to renounce all of their free agents. That doesn\u2019t mean that none of them will return, but Chicago won\u2019t need free agent rights to re-sign any of them to fair-value deals.<\/p>\n
If Graham, in his first offseason running the team, goes the cap space route, what should the Bulls do with that $58 million?<\/p>\n
Going into next year, it\u2019s likely that teams won\u2019t be able to openly tank due to lottery reform (Note: as of this writing, lottery reform has not been finalized or approved yet). The bottom three teams will have less of a shot of winning the lottery, so outright tanking from the jump isn\u2019t really a path anymore.<\/p>\n
That means building at least a semi-competent roster. But there are miles between outright tanking and pushing for spot in the postseason. That\u2019s where the Bulls should be aiming for.<\/p>\n
Matas Buzelis is a terrific building block for a young team. Buzelis made real leaps in almost every phase of the game last season. His shooting on jumpers improved, even if he had to take a lot of self-created shots. He\u2019s someone that Graham can build with moving forward.<\/p>\n
Rob Dillingham and Noa Essengue are headed into Years 3 and 2 respectively. They\u2019ve got time on their rookie deals still, so Chicago should see what they have.<\/p>\n
Josh Giddey is signed to the largest contract on the team at $25 million per season through 2028-29. Giddey\u2019s two seasons with the Bulls have been somewhere between fine and good. He\u2019s improved as a three-point shooter, which has rounded out his offensive game nicely. Giddey hasn\u2019t gotten better as a defender. That sort of leaves him as a man without a position. Still, he\u2019s a helpful player who can at least help organize and run the offense.<\/p>\n
Tre Jones, Jalen Smith, Isaac Okoro and Patrick Williams are the other players that Chicago has under contract. None have a real place on a rebuilding team. But none will drive winning so much that they have to be traded either. In other words: these are the kind of guys you want when you aren\u2019t trying too hard to win, but also don\u2019t want to be at the very bottom.<\/p>\n
However, if the Bulls get reasonable offers for any of these guys, especially Williams, they should move them. The order they are listed in is the order of their trade value for most teams. None would return any kind of overwhelming package, but Jones, Smith or Okoro could fetch a small asset or two.<\/p>\n
That leaves us with a team that has one core young player and a handful of decent veterans and nearly $60 million in cap space to play with. The old Bulls would have spent that money on trading for veteran players and signing veteran free agents to make a playoff push. The new Bulls might take a more measured approach.<\/p>\n
Chicago could take on some unwanted contracts in exchange for assets. Teams like Cleveland, Denver, Minnesota and New York are very expensive and may be looking to shed some contracts. Other teams like Phoenix, Toronto, Sacramento and maybe even Oklahoma City, might want to get under the tax line. If Graham is creative, and ownership is willing, he could start stacking future draft capital and maybe even pick up an interesting player or two to take a look at.<\/p>\n
Another option with Chicago\u2019s cap space is chasing restricted free agents. That can be a risky game, because the acquiring team likely has to have an agreement in place near the start of free agency. From there, it\u2019s a waiting period until the Moratorium lifts before the offer sheet can be signed and delivered to the incumbent team. And that incumbent team can take a full day to decide if they\u2019re matching the offer sheet or not.<\/p>\n
Essentially, it might be close to a week from the start of free agency until a team will know for sure if they\u2019ve landed the restricted free agent they pursued. By that point, most of the impact free agents will have come off the board, and most trades will have been agreed to, if not wrapped up entirely.<\/p>\n
If the Bulls did want to pursue restricted free agents, some good players should be available. Jalen Duren and Walker Kessler are expected to re-sign with the Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz respectively, but a max offer sheet could tempt them. And a max could cause the Pistons of Jazz to potentially blink at matching.<\/p>\n
Peyton Watson and Tari Eason are good two-way forwards who will be restricted free agents. Both the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets have some tax and apron concerns. The Bulls could potentially craft a large enough, but non-max, offer sheet to at least force the Nuggets or Rockets to make a decision.<\/p>\n
Mostly likely, if the Bulls really wanted one of these restricted free agents, their best path would be to work out a sign-and-trade, instead of playing the offer sheet game. That allows both teams to move forward without tying anything up longer than it needs to be.<\/p>\n
The Draft Lottery showed Chicago good fortune, as they moved from the ninth overall pick up to the fourth overall pick. That was the biggest leap up the board any team made at this year\u2019s Lottery, and it drastically changes the Bulls draft outlook.<\/p>\n
Now, rather than looking at the best of the remaining guards, or potentially a forward like Nate Ament, Chicago can land a star-level player with the fourth pick. Consensus through mock drafts is that Caleb Wilson will be the player available for Chicago, with an outside chance of it being Cameron Boozer. Either player would be an outstanding fit next to Matas Buzelis in the Bulls frontcourt for years to come.<\/p>\n
If Chicago wanted to go away from the frontcourt, Darius Acuff Jr. would be a terrific selection to give the team their backcourt leader for the future. Given Bryson Graham stressed size, length and athleticism as roster priorities, the best bet here is Wilson.<\/p>\n
With their second first-round pick at No. 15, the Bulls can bolster whatever position they don\u2019t pick a player at with the fourth pick. There will be plenty of good guards, forward and centers available in the middle of the first round. The team also has two second-round picks, at No. 38 and No. 56. Expect the former to deliver a developmental prospect, while the second will likely go to a player that will sign a two-way deal.<\/p>\n
The lottery coming up in the Chicago Bulls favor gives the franchise a great jumping off point for their rebuild under Bryson Graham. Next up is hiring a coach to lead and develop what will likely be a very young Bulls team. Then, Graham can focus on an important first draft, as well as a summer with a lot of cap space. As long as ownership gives Graham some patience to rebuild without shortcuts, the future looks bright in Chicago.<\/p>\n
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