McGraw: Don't expect many changes to Bulls roster
The Bulls seem to be heading into the off-season with the bizarre strategy of trying to trade their head coach.
On the court, there's no reason to expect much change in personnel. Just about every Bulls player is under contract for next season and the team is not in a rebuilding situation.
The only free agents in the group are Mike Dunleavy, Aaron Brooks and Nazr Mohammed. Kirk Hinrich has a player option, so he'll probably stick around for another season.
The Bulls developed into a three-star lineup last season, with Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol. It was definitely a work in progress, since Gasol was in his first year with the team, Butler was a high-scoring all-star for the first time an Rose returned after nearly two full years on the sideline.
Nothing will change this summer. Gasol turns 35 in July, but it seems reasonable to expect his production to continue. Big men tend to have a longer shelf life in the NBA and Gasol's game is not dependent on speed or jumping.
His first season with the Bulls was his 14th in the NBA and Gasol set a career-high with 11.8 rebounds. The 18.5 scoring average was his best in four seasons.
Butler is a restricted free agent and certain to get a maximum offer sheet from another team. So the right move for the Bulls would be to offer the max on July 1 and avoid any needless drama. Avoiding needless drama isn't always a team strength, so we'll see what happens. With the NBA salary cap rising, the Bulls should be able to pay Butler and face just one year of paying the luxury tax, if that.
Rose's return has to be categorized as a success. He didn't make it through the season injury-free, but he was brilliant at times, especially in the playoffs. The goal for next season will be to add consistency.
"I'm going into this summer with a game plan, with certain things to work on," Rose said after the season-ending loss to Cleveland. "I'll push myself the hardest I've ever pushed myself in my career and just see where it takes me."
Considering his injury history, Rose probably shouldn't push too hard this summer. Take some breaks.
Finding the right chemistry to surround the Bulls' Big Three is the challenge and plenty of options are already on the roster.
Improved 3-point shooting is an obvious need and the Bulls figure to head into next season with a couple of strong shooters, Doug McDermott and Tony Snell, taking over at small forward. Dunleavy said Thursday he'd love to return to the Bulls. Most likely, he'll move on so the coach knows McDermott is the first option.
The only real question among the main rotation guys is will the Bulls think about moving Joakim Noah or Taj Gibson? It might be easier said than done.
First of all, what would the Bulls look for in return? They have two all-stars in the backcourt and the small forward of the future is already in place. Gasol is nearing the end of his career, so if the Bulls trade a big man, they need another big in return.
There are some good bigs coming on the free agent market this summer - Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Paul Millsap, Greg Monroe, DeAndre Jordan, Kevin Love. It's doubtful the Bulls could get in on sign-and-trade action, but they could try.
Trading Noah might be something the Bulls won't even consider. Coming off a disappointing, post-knee surgery season, Noah would be a risk to another team and he has an unfriendly contract - expensive at $13.9 million and only one year left, so there's no guarantee he sticks around.
More importantly, the Bulls appreciate Noah's popularity with fans and the way he tries to make an impact in the community. Keeping the United Center full is the Bulls' top priority and Noah fits that plan perfectly.
The Bulls will hope Noah is healthier next season and gets more comfortable playing next to Gasol. If the Bulls test the market for Gibson, it will probably be with the goal of opening more minutes for Nikola Mirotic at power forward.
The biggest decision of the summer might be at backup point guard. Should they bring back Brooks or try to find a taller alternative? Brooks brought a nice offensive punch during the regular season, but didn't play much in the first-round series against Milwaukee because of his height disadvantage.
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