Grading the Chicago Bulls’ Offseason After Summer League

Five years have passed since the Chicago Bulls were in similar offseason headlines that they were in this summer. After their youth made a run to the Las Vegas Summer League quarterfinals, we take a look at the offseason (so far) for the Bulls.

In the summer of 2010, the Chicago Bulls were big players in some league-wide sweepstakes. Not only were the Bulls one of the “up-and-coming” teams in the league again, they almost became an instant title contender after falling short in acquiring Chicago native Dwyane Wade, and the man that’s tortured them for years: LeBron James.

Thibodeau fired, Fred Hoiberg hired

After five stellar seasons on the sidelines for the Bulls, Tom Thibodeau was finally let go of his head coaching position by the front office. The move seemed inevitable after the Bulls bowed out to a LeBron-led team again in the postseason, along with several reported clashes between the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 2010 and the Bulls front office.

It’s not fair to the man because he’s yet to coach in a real NBA game thus far, but personally, I’m still not completely sold on Fred Hoiberg in this spot. Granted, he’s got a plethora of offensive weapons just like he did in Ames as Iowa State’s head coach, which should have Bulls fans excited in terms of what his free-flowing offense will look like in 2015-16. But, this roster was built like Thibodeau’s demeanor: tough and defensive-minded. He’s got his work cut out for him in his rookie year.

Bulls re-sign Jimmy Butler, Mike Dunleavy and Aaron Brooks; Kirk Hinrich exercises his player option

There’s no question about it: The Bulls had to re-sign Jimmy Butler by any means necessary.

Butler re-upped with the Bulls for (at least) four more years (he has a player option after the fourth season), and signed for northwards of $90 million. The NBA’s Most Improved Player Award winner this past year proved that he belongs in the best two-guard discussions with a stellar 2014-15 campaign.

Along with keeping Butler in Chicago, the Bulls were able to keep Mike Dunleavy on a bargain of a deal. Sure, there were times were Dunleavy’s shooting plummeted, but his veteran presence, wit and ability to help stretch the floor will make him a valuable piece in Hoiberg’s new system. Dunleavy wanted to be in Chicago, and the front office did the right thing by keeping him in Chicago.

As for the point guard discussion, the Bulls addressed their frontcourt with their lone draft pick (more on him in a few), so with a tight salary cap, the Bulls had to stick with what they have by re-signing Aaron Brooks, while Kirk Hinrich picked up the player option on his final year of his current contract. Both moves are kind of just, blah.

Side note: Will Hoiberg actually give a guy like E’Twaun Moore at PG a chance?

Bulls draft Bobby Portis; Portis follows up with a good SL showing

Most were surprised that Arkansas forward Bobby Portis fell into the 20s during the 2015 NBA Draft, and the Bulls war room was no different.

Without much hesitation, the Bulls selected Portis with their lone pick of the draft at No. 22, and in the early going, it seems like Portis could be another later first-round steal for the Bulls.

During his six games on the Bulls roster for the Las Vegas Summer League, Portis averaged 14.5 points per game, along with a dominant 25-point, 15-rebound performance in the last SL game for the Bulls (minus Doug McDermott and Cameron Bairstow) against Phoenix.

McDermott has another good summer; Bulls sign Cristiano Felicio

Despite missing the last game of the summer for the Bulls with a sore foot, Doug McDermott is 2-for-2 in terms of his play in Las Vegas in his young career.

McDermott made the LVSL’s First Team after averaging 18.8 points per contest in five appearances. Despite shooting below 20 percent from three-point land in those games, “McBuckets” still got buckets. His 28-point outburst against the top-seeded Toronto Raptors in the second round of the LVSL Tournament was one of the more impressive showings of any player.

Last year’s first-round pick has some familiarity with new head coach Fred Hoiberg, which could lead to a potential breakout campaign for McDermott with a bigger load of minutes. There’s still plenty to worry about with his game, but just like every other player in the NBA, improvement comes with time and reps.

Along with McDermott’s performance, the Bulls signed Brazilian big man Cristiano Felicio, in hopes of him filling that Omer Asik role behind Joakim Noah. Felicio’s game is still really raw at this point, but he’s just 23 years old. But, with Noah, Pau Gasol, Taj Gibson, and now Bobby Portis in the frontcourt (at this time), Felicio may not have a spot on the roster.

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Next: Examining Bobby Portis' Las Vegas Summer League performances