Navigating offseason will be tricky for Bulls. Here's some help
The Bulls are in a tough spot this offseason, with plenty of needs and limited means to add players.
How did they get here? As usual, a series of bad decisions - letting go of coach Tom Thibodeau, trading Jimmy Butler, becoming a laughingstock, then hurriedly trying to fix all the problems. You know the drill.
Since the last championship in 1998, the Bulls have reached the second round of the playoffs four times in 25 years. Here is the list of teams that have done worse - Knicks, Orlando, Minnesota and Charlotte. And the Knicks, with Thibodeau on the bench, are one win away from their fourth playoff series win.
The data speaks for itself: This is a bad franchise. There's no reason to feel confident the Bulls can rise to the challenge. So here's some help, a guidebook on how to approach things this summer.
The ceiling may not offer much headroom, but if things go well, there's no reason the Bulls can't be a No. 4 or 5 seed next season with the chance to win a playoff series. And we're assuming they don't get lucky in the May 16 draft lottery, but anything's possible.
Step 1: Consider all options
Basketball operations boss Arturas Karnisovas said as much during his end-of-season interview. So go ahead and listen to every trade offer for DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and anyone else on the roster.
Chances are, the best option will be giving the high-scoring duo at least one more year together. Trade DeRozan and the Bulls will be in dire need of veteran guidance. LaVine's max contract is certainly a hindrance, but his ceiling is still unknown. The 30-point second half in the play-in game at Toronto was a promising sign.
Step 2: Don't say bye to Pat Bev
The Bulls improved the minute Patrick Beverley walked through the door and went 14-9 with him in the lineup. For a player to make such a positive impact, you obviously bring him back, right?
Even if they're convinced Coby White is the point guard of the future, that transition will likely go better with Beverley on hand as a mentor. Talk both players into a scenario where Beverley starts and White finishes.
Paying for Beverley could be a problem, it's true. If the Bulls are granted a disabled player exception for Lonzo Ball (should be automatic), a one-year $10.2-million offer is competitive. If Beverley doesn't take it, at least they tried. And they can offer that exception to someone else.
Step 3: Drive a hard bargain
The biggest question this summer is what to do about free-agent center Nikola Vucevic. Re-sign him and the roster is stagnant. Let him go and who plays center?
As mentioned above, the Bulls should consider all options for sign-and-trades. Then again, how much demand will exist around the league? Vucevic is certainly a top-10 center, but he's not a dominant superstar, turns 33 in the fall and many teams are de-emphasizing the position.
There's also not much cap space around the league, so if the Bulls make an offer to Vucevic, they might as well start around $13-14 million, slightly more than the midlevel exception, and try to keep some flexibility.
Step 4: Know when to fold 'em
When it comes to re-signing White, a restricted free agent, the Bulls should be wary of telling his agent to go shop for an offer sheet for them to match. The Houston Rockets have the most cap space by far and if they sense a stalemate, they have the ability to make a crazy offer. Just be fair and get it taken care of, White wants to stay in Chicago.
Step 5: Use the midlevel exception
Since the Bulls are capped out, this is the main avenue for adding free agents. If Andre Drummond doesn't activate his player option for next season, this could be a chance to add an emerging center-power forward, with some interesting options available, like Minnesota's Naz Reid, Sacramento's Chimezie Metu, New Orleans' Jaxson Hayes and others.
Ideally, the Bulls would prefer to add 3-point shooting, but there aren't many rotation spots for the guards, especially if they hang onto restricted free agent Ayo Dosunmu. In-house improvement, along with better utilization of White, LaVine and Patrick Williams might be the most reasonable answer.
Step 6: Pay the piper
If the Bulls bring back Beverley, re-sign White, Vucevic and Dosunmu, use the disabled player exception and the full midlevel, they'll almost certainly end up paying the luxury tax.
So what? Bulls ownership has been happy to roll in the cash supplied by its loyal fanbase. Doing whatever it takes to maximize what could be DeRozan's last season with the Bulls feels like a very small ask.
Twitter: @McGrawDHSports