Bulls Offseason Outlook

After a disappointing season not achieving best lottery odds after starting the season 3–20, the Bulls find themselves tied for the sixth-best odds for the top overall pick.

This offseason, they are facing crucial decisions, mainly Zach Lavine's pending restricted free agency. In the small sample, the pieces the Bulls got in return for Jimmy Butler played very poorly when they shared the court. Lavine and Dunn had problems sharing the basketball, like problem Butler and Rose shared in their final year together.

Their franchise player is Lauri Markkanen, but the supporting cast leaves questions to be answered. With this upcoming draft at the sixth slot, the Bulls should see the likes of Michael Porter Jr, Trae Young, and Mohamed Bamba. Trae Young would be a great addition to the offense and would pair with Markkanen well, but his defensive inefficiencies(similar to Lavine's) would create significant problems on the other side of the court. Mo Bamba would provide great length and size while also filling the need at the five spot and would make up for Markkanen's inability to protect the rim. Porter Jr. also fills a hole but at the three spot. His shot-creating skills and his upside is attractive, but his back injury limited him to only two games his freshman year, and the Bulls would have to make this decision based solely off of his high school tape.

The Bulls also hold the 22nd pick after dealing Nikola Mirotic to Pelicans. They could look at players like Anfernee Simons, Troy Brown, Lonnie Walker IV, or Jontay Porter.

Other team decisions circle whether to bring back players like David Nwaba(RFA) and Noah Vonleh(RFA). The Bulls only have $61 million on the books for next year excluding the two first rounders they hold this year. They have nearly $43 million in cap space but expect that number to be around $20 million if they choose to bring back Lavine.

As the Bulls go into year two of the rebuild, don't be surprised when Bulls give big offers to Restricted Free Agents like Aaron Gordon, Jabari Parker, Marcus Smart, and Clint Capela. With approximately $43 million in cap space, the Bulls could take on bad contracts in return for draft assets.

Photograph Credits: Chicago Tribune