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Should the Chicago Bulls Draft a Wing Player in the 2015 NBA Draft?

By Paul Steeno

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The Chicago Bulls front office has an important decision to make regarding who they are going to select with the 22nd pick in the 2015 NBA Draft on Thursday night.

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Initially, it seemed like the Bulls would be best served drafting a point guard, however; recent developments suggest that drafting an athletic wing player would be a viable option as well.

What has changed recently to make an athletic wing player such a pressing need for this Chicago Bulls team?

In a column that I wrote last week, I argued that the Bulls should definitely use their pick on a point guard. However, the recent report that Jimmy Butler will not accept a long-term contract from the Bulls. A few other factors to indicate that the Bulls will be well-served adding an athletic scoring wing to their roster via the draft.

As always, the type of player that the Bulls select is largely based on who is available in that point of the draft. The Bulls can improve their team by adding either a backup point guard or an athletic wing scorer during this draft.

Jimmy Butler’s lack of a long-term commitment, along with the impending turnover of the roster at the shooting guard/small forward position has suddenly made drafting a wing player with their 22nd pick in the 2015 draft a viable option for the Chicago Bulls.

Butler’s uncertain future with the Chicago Bulls opens up the possibility for a gaping hole to exist at the shooting guard/small forward position. Additionally, the Bulls would lose one of their best scorers, and their most athletic perimeter defender. As of now, the existing personnel can’t reciprocate the skills and athleticism that Butler brought to this team. The Bulls may use the draft on Thursday to address this issue.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported last Tuesday that Jimmy Butler is preparing to reject the Chicago Bulls max contract offer in favor of a short-term contract option. Butler is buying his time now, in anticipation of a huge payday in the near future. He doesn’t want to lock himself into a long-term contract because the salary cap and luxury tax levels are expected to rise dramatically in the coming years.

May 14, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) dribbles the ball around Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) during the first quarter in game six of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Therefore, Butler will pursue a short-term contract that contains a player option allowing him to pursue the big bucks in unrestricted free agency after the 2016-17 season when the cap explodes.

The Chicago Bulls now begin an uncomfortable cat-and-mouse game with Jimmy Butler. While the Bulls have the power to match any contract given to Butler by another team,  the latter has more leverage to decide how long he wants to stay in Chicago.

In fact, according to Bleacher Report writer Sean Highkin, Jimmy Butler could become an unrestricted free agent as soon as next summer if he so chooses.

"There are two nightmare scenarios for the Bulls in Butler’s restricted free agency. One of them can be avoided—the other not so much. If he’s really set on becoming a free agent again sooner rather than later, Butler could simply sign the Bulls’ one-year qualifying offer, worth about $4.4 million.It’s extremely rare for a player of Butler’s caliber to take that route—the most notable recent example is Greg Monroe with the Detroit Pistons last summer—but it’s an option that’s on the table, and the Bulls couldn’t do anything about it if he decides to go that route."

However, it is more plausible to assume that Butler will seek an offer sheet valued at around $50 million across three seasons with an opt-out option after two seasons. He is clearly buying his time and the longer he waits the more money he can make in free agency.

According to Jonathan Givony of Draft Express, the NBA salary cap is set to substantially rise in the upcoming seasons in the wake of the NBA’s new television deal with ESPN and Turner Sports. The cap for next season is projected at $67.1 million dollars.

However, if Butler waits longer to become a free agent the salary cap will balloon to an unprecedented $108 million by the 2017-2018 season meaning a hug payday for the Bulls star forward.

If Butler chooses to sign a short-term contract this summer, the longest the Bulls can hope to sign him would be for three seasons. A little known clause in the NBA’s recent collective bargaining agreement allows Chicago to sign Butler for three years without giving him an opt-out option.

Highkin and CBA expert Larry Coon explain:

"In addition to the one-year qualifying offer the Bulls have to give Butler to keep his matching rights, they also have the ability to extend a second qualifying offer, which is essentially a five-year max contract with the largest allowable yearly raises and no player or team options.Per Larry Coon’s CBA FAQ, if a team extends the so-called “maximum qualifying offer,” another team’s offer sheet must start at three years, not counting any options. This would mean any offer sheet Butler signs could not make him a free agent again until the summer of 2018 at the earliest."

The Chicago Bulls are staring down a future that may not include Jimmy Butler. Even if Butler does stay with Chicago for a few more seasons, it isn’t guaranteed that he would re-sign with Chicago when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

A future without Butler leaves a gaping hole at the shooting guard/small forward position. The Bulls may choose to address this issue via the NBA draft this year.

The Bulls rotation at the shooting guard/small forward position may further be depleted if they opt to develop Nikola Mirotic as a stretch big man rather than a small forward long-term.

Throughout the course of last season, especially when Mike Dunleavy missed extended time with injury, the Bulls experimented with Nikola Mirotic at the small forward position.

Although the Bulls experienced some success with this experiment, it may not be a sustainable long-term option.

Mirotic’s talents are better served at the power forward or center position because of his size. On offense, he creates match-up problems for opponents because of his ability to stretch the floor with his three point shooting.

Defensively, his size and sub-par defense prevent him from guarding smaller, quicker small forwards reducing his long-term value at this position.

If Mirotic ultimately transitions towards becoming a more traditional big man, that is another solid player that the Bulls are losing from their wing player rotation.

May 10, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic (44) warms up prior to game four of the second round of the NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bulls rotation at the shooting guard/small forward position may take an additional hit if Mike Dunleavy is not re-signed this summer. He is a 40 percent shooter who contributed almost ten points per game over the course of last season.

The Bulls also were 9-10 during the regular season in his absence, proving his value to this team. This is a solid contributor that is going to need to be replaced immediately. The Bulls could do this through the draft.

Mike Dunleavy becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer after finishing off the two-year, $6.5 million contract that he signed with the Bulls back in 2013. NBA teams have already expressed interest in signing him once free agency officially begins in July.

Fox Sports recently reported that the Toronto Raptors are interested in pursuing Dunleavy in free agency this summer. Additionally, there has been speculation that the Miami Heat are interested in adding Dunleavy as well.

The Bulls will still have Doug McDermott and Tony Snell on their roster, barring an unforeseen roster move this summer. However, the verdict is still out on both players, and adding another guy at this position increases the odds that one of them will become a long-term contributor.

The Chicago Bulls may be thin at the shooting guard/small forward position next season. Therefore, drafting an athletic scoring wing player could beef up the rotation while providing the Bulls with another player that can create his own shot and score in bunches. The Bulls can fill multiple needs with one pick.

Sports Illustrated writer Ben Golliver provided a summary statement to explain what the Chicago Bulls will be looking for in the NBA draft this season.

"Legitimate concerns about the durability of Derrick Rose and the impending free agency of Mike Dunleavy make point guard and small forward two positions in need of potential depth-chart additions. That said, Chicago has added a seemingly endless cycle of serviceable reserve point guards in free agency over the last few years, and the presence of Nikola Mirotic and McDermott on the roster will make minutes hard to come by at the three, even if Dunleavy does depart. Barring a core-shaking trade, the Bulls will likely be drafting with one eye, if not both eyes, towards the future."

The Chicago Bulls have to choose to address one of their two major areas of concern via the draft. The lack of depth at the two guard/small forward position has recently become an issue with Dunleavy’s impending free agency, Mirotic’s potential position change and Butler’s unwillingness to commit long-term to this team.

The Bulls have been trying to add a scoring wing to their team for a long time now. When they drafted Jimmy Butler in 2011, they essentially rectified this issue, however; his scoring was a long-term project that didn’t pay immediate dividends. The Bulls now have an opportunity to sign a player similar to Butler to fill the void should he decide to leave via free agency. However, as Golliver pointed out, this player is going to be a project; a nod towards the Bulls long-term goals as a franchise.

Next: 2015 NBA Draft: UNLV G Rashad Vaughn

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