Rudy Gobert, Mitchell Robinson Reported As Chicago Bulls Targets In 2022 NBA Offseason

The Chicago Bulls traded a whole lot for All-Star center Nikola Vucevic in 2021, but his decline in 2021-22 ahead of the final season of his contract has them thinking about other possibilities. Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported last week “Bulls brass has been considering their options at center since February’s trade deadline.”

While Arturas Karnisovas preached “continuity” at his exit press conference after Chicago lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, it only makes sense to consider all options. A couple of names on the rumor mill are Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert and New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson.

Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer noted the Bulls’ interest in Gobert and Robinson last week. Fischer followed up with more detail about Gobert, highlighting a package “mentioned by league executives” of Vucevic and Patrick Williams. Matt Moore of The Action Network reported Gobert is “absolutely a Karnisovas guy.” The New York Post’s Marc Berman says Chicago is still doing “research” on Robinson ahead of his unrestricted free agency this summer and “could be the main competitors” for his services.

Gobert and Robinson are both known for their rim protection and rim running, making them wildly different players from Vucevic. The Bulls use Vucevic in pick-and-pops and as a straight-up floor spacer at times, as well as a playmaking hub in the middle of the court. He’s an excellent rebounder but not much of a rim protector and can be taken advantage of on defense, but he can get by using his smarts and quick hands with the proper personnel around him. Chicago acquired Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso for a reason.

Swapping out Vucevic for either Gobert or Robinson would make for a notable change in style. The Gobert rumors in particular are fascinating given how polarizing he is despite his track record as the best rim protector in the NBA. A three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner, Gobert has been criticized for his impact not translating enough in the playoffs, with Utah’s repeated postseason failures putting them on the brink of a shakeup. Given the fact he just finished up the first year of a five-year deal worth $205 million and will turn 30 soon, many don’t believe that deal will age gracefully.

Gobert’s impact is undeniably lessened when teams go 5-out and he has to cover the perimeter more. He also often fails to take advantage of smaller defenders on offense. It’s worth pointing out, though, that some of the blame should fall on his Jazz teammates for poor perimeter defense and an inability to get him the ball in the right spots. Fellow All-Star Donovan Mitchell was a notable culprit in these playoffs, and the issues between the two stars are well-documented.

Gobert would make the Bulls a better team, but the question marks make it fair to wonder if it’s worth trying to make another blockbuster trade to get an expensive center who has issues moving the needle enough when it matters. Chicago might not even be able to put together the best trade package anyway, and it’s unclear just how serious the franchise actually is about going after Gobert and whether Williams would be involved in any trade offer.

Hilariously enough, Vucevic and Gobert had some fun with the recent rumblings on Twitter:

The Bulls could try to make a smaller splash, which is where an addition like Robinson could come into play. There have been signs that the young center is looking to leave New York. In the case of Robinson, one question is if Chicago would acquire him to be a Vucevic replacement or as a defensive upgrade in a frontcourt that also features Vucevic. Berman’s report states the Bulls “believe Robinson could be a good fit slotted alongside offense-minded center Nikola Vucevic.”

Does that mean Chicago would try to start Vucevic and Robinson together (they have both only been centers in the NBA) or have Robinson be the backup? Starting Vucevic and Robinson together with DeMar DeRozan would make for some spacing issues, and it would also diminish Williams in an important Year 3. Williams moving to the bench wouldn’t be the end of the world because he hasn’t proven to be an impact NBA player yet, but making that move to start Vucevic and Robinson together would be a questionable one. It would also be rather ironic given Robinson injured Williams at the beginning of this season.

Robinson has had an uneven start to his NBA career, but he surely wants to get paid and be a starter after being on a cheap rookie deal as a second-round pick. Berman says the 7-footer wants “at least $11 million per” and is likely to “simply take the best offer” in free agency. Would Robinson be willing to be a backup if the money offer was good enough? Would the Bulls even want to shell out a lot of money for a backup center? Chicago could theoretically look to add the 24-year-old as a backup for now with a plan to have him be the starter down the road.

Assuming the return of Zach LaVine on a max contract, the Bulls are set to have the mid-level exception worth over $10 million in 2022-23 and about $11 million annually over a four-year deal. If more is needed to get Robinson, they could try to work out a sign-and-trade, which would hard cap them at around $155 million. Chicago currently has about $100 million in active roster cap for 2022-23.

The Bulls could very well wind up just running it back with Vucevic, but at the very least it’s obvious they need a better backup for him after Tony Bradley and Tristan Thompson didn’t work out. Chicago being linked to some of these names already is a sign the front office will try to make something happen at center.