Chicago Bulls Have Work To Do In Addition To Re-Signing Zach LaVine In 2022 NBA Free Agency

2022 NBA free agency officially begins on Thursday, but there have already been major fireworks in the week leading up to it. The New York Knicks maneuvered their way into position to steal Jalen Brunson away from the Dallas Mavericks, while the Atlanta Hawks made a blockbuster trade for San Antonio Spurs All-Star Dejounte Murray. The Washington Wizards and Denver Nuggets swapped two players each. James Harden is set to take less money with the Philadelphia 76ers to help them add P.J. Tucker and perhaps more. There was also that whole Kyrie Irving saga, with Irving ultimately deciding to exercise his 2022-23 player option.

This is all of note to the Chicago Bulls as they head into the free agency period. After finally returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2017, the Bulls are looking to not just maintain their position in the Eastern Conference but take a step forward.

The biggest priority, of course, is re-signing Zach LaVine. But there’s other work to be done to improve the roster, especially in terms of size and shooting, as rivals make moves around them. Chicago is slated to have the mid-level exception to work with (nearly $10.5 million for 2022-23), and there’s also a $5 million trade exception from the Daniel Theis sign-and-trade last offseason. That is set to expire on July 7.

Let’s look at some of the key things to watch as free agency gets underway.

Zach LaVine

The Bulls’ confidence has never wavered when it comes to re-signing LaVine. While there were rumblings about possible dissatisfaction with DeMar DeRozan taking the spotlight, that noise all seemed to be coming from outside parties hoping to lure LaVine away from Chicago.

Sure enough, reporting two weeks ago suggested LaVine would re-sign, and all signs continue to point to this happening. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported earlier this week that LaVine and the Bulls are expected to hammer out a max deal right as free agency begins on Thursday.

It’s still unclear just what the final deal will look like, but LaVine is eligible for a five-year deal that’s now worth up to just over $215 million because the $122 million salary cap projection is now $123.6 million. This increase in salary cap also bumps the luxury tax line to over $150 million and the hard cap to nearly $157 million, which will be something to monitor for Chicago. The Bulls are notoriously averse to paying the tax, but they could be in position to do so depending on what they do and should be willing to do it.

Rudy Gobert

While Rudy Gobert isn’t a free agent, this is still a major situation to monitor as the offseason continues. There was recent buzz that the Bulls were considered a favorite for the Utah Jazz star, but that died down a bit … only for The Action Network’s Matt Moore to say this week they “should be the odds-on favorite for what team Gobert is on next season, even including the Jazz.”

Danny Ainge will surely drive a hard bargain in these trade talks, and this could ultimately come down to whether or not Chicago is willing to include Patrick Williams. It seems that hasn’t been the case thus far, but Moore says some NBA execs “speculate” he will eventually be put on the table along with Nikola Vucevic and other pieces.

It’s fair to wonder if the Bulls should make an all-in move for a player like Gobert who just turned 30 and has real limitations. However, he is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner and would undoubtedly make Chicago a better team.

Other big-man options

It looks like Deandre Ayton is going somewhere in a sign-and-trade, so the Bulls could try to go that route with the Phoenix Suns instead of trying to work out a blockbuster trade for Gobert. There hasn’t been a whole lot of noise about that possibility, though, and there are some tricky cap machinations to deal with.

Moore mentioned interest in a John Collins trade, but it’s unclear how real that may be. Jakob Poeltl was a reported trade target ahead of the last deadline and could be an option again now that it looks like the Spurs are tanking. Myles Turner is constantly in trade rumors but hasn’t been dealt yet.

Looking at possible moves using the mid-level exception, Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer linked Chicago to Isaiah Hartenstein and Mo Bamba, though he also said the front office might not use the full mid-level on just one player. Hartenstein seems to be available because the Los Angeles Clippers can’t offer him much in free agency, while Bamba didn’t get a qualifying offer from the Orlando Magic and is now set to be an unrestricted free agent. Interestingly enough, Marc Stein says the Magic are a “leading suitor” for Hartenstein, though the big man is also interested in re-signing with LA.

Mitchell Robinson was once linked to the Bulls, but it looks like he’s heading back to New York. Other names out there include Chris Boucher, Thomas Bryant, DeMarcus Cousins, Hassan Whiteside, Bismack Biyombo, JaVale McGee and Mike Muscala, who just had his team option declined by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Former Bulls such as Bobby Portis and Thaddeus Young are reportedly expected to return to their current teams.

Ultimately, even if the Bulls don’t make a big splash for a starting center to replace Vucevic, they must at least acquire a better backup after Tony Bradley and Tristan Thompson failed last season.

Coby White and shooting

While the Bulls need more shooting on the roster, Coby White’s name continues to come up in trade rumors. White can be a microwave scorer and dangerous 3-point shooter at times, but his inconsistency and overall lack of versatility have hindered him in the NBA.

Chicago doesn’t have to trade White as he becomes extension eligible this summer, but it’s smart to look at using him to try to find a better player, whether that’s a shooter or one of the aforementioned big-man options. The Bulls could try to package him and the pick they own from the Portland Trail Blazers for an upgrade. In addition to all the players already named, Kyle Kuzma is an intriguing option given the Wizards’ forward logjam. Rui Hachimura is another one and could cost less.

In terms of free agents, Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago lists Gary Harris, T.J. Warren, Joe Ingles and former Bull Otto Porter Jr. as potential targets to help with shooting. Patty Mills just declined his player option with the Brooklyn Nets. Bryn Forbes is a career 41.3% 3-point shooter. Danilo Gallinari could be an option assuming he gets bought out by the Spurs after the Murray trade.

Or how about the Bulls turn to the Los Angeles Lakers and look into Malik Monk or even Carmelo Anthony? Monk seems to be a likely bet to return to the Lakers, but never say never. Melo can still get buckets in a hurry.

Speaking of the Lakers, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times listed White as a possible target. Talen Horton-Tucker wouldn’t be an ideal return, though, because he’s a horrific outside shooter.

Chicago is surely looking at other options as well (potentially even in Europe), both in terms of shooters and help in the frontcourt department. Arturas Karnisovas and Co. should be casting a wide net as they look to fill out the roster.

Other notes

Tony Bradley already exercised his player option worth just over $2 million. The Bulls could look to trade him to open up a roster spot, but he’s not the worst deep bench big. Ayo Dosunmu, Javonte Green and Marko Simonovic are the other players with cheap deals for 2022-23.

Troy Brown Jr. didn’t receive a qualifying offer and will be an unrestricted free agent as opposed to a restricted free agent. Brown likely won’t be back. Derrick Jones Jr. and Matt Thomas are also likely goners.

Two-way player Malcolm Hill got a qualifying offer.