The Chicago Bulls have more questions than answers entering this summer and one issues at hand is whether or not they re-sign Joakim Noah and keep the former All-NBA big man in Chicago.
Joakim Noah is one of two big men for the Bulls that could be wearing different uniforms in the 2016-17 NBA season.
Outside of a startling report from ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst around February’s trade deadline that the Bulls would not only keep Pau Gasol, but look to re-sign him, it’s been clear to many that Gasol will likely be playing elsewhere next season.
The Bulls still have Bobby Portis, Nikola Mirotic, Taj Gibson and Cristiano Felicio under contract to play in the front court next season, but like The Athletic Chicago’s Stephen Noh points out, none of those are guys are longer-term options as a defensive anchor.
"If the Bulls don’t get one or two true centers, then they will likely be playing small lineups a lot more next year. That means the rebounding problems that plagued them last year will get even worse.They need to get at least one big body to clean up the boards when they’re facing Andre Drummond, Tristan Thompson and other strong rebounders in the Eastern Conference that have traditionally destroyed the team."
The Bulls have a crisis.
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Even if Noah returns on a more team-friendly deal next season, there’s no guarantee that he’ll be the Noah before the knee procedure that slowed his career track down immensely. He’ll be coming off a serious shoulder procedure, but he can still be of value to the Bulls.
Noh suggested a few names to hold down the fort for the Bulls defensively next season — Hassan Whiteside, Festus Ezeli, Bismack Biyombo (with a few others) — and the name that kept flashing through my head personally was Festus Ezeli.
There’s a tidbit with Ezeli and the Bulls. In the 2012 NBA Draft, the Bulls notoriously took Kentucky point guard Marquis Teague with the 29th overall pick after Derrick Rose tore his ACL in the postseason.
The next pick for the Golden State Warriors? Festus Ezeli.
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When it comes to Ezeli, the first (and probably most important) issue with Ezeli and this summer is the fact that he’s a restricted free agent, which means the Warriors can match any offer thrown his direction this summer.
Starting center Andrew Bogut is slated to make a shade over $11 million next season, but will be an unrestricted free agent in 2017-18, which opens the door for Ezeli to become the starting center (if Golden State matches the offers thrown at him this summer).
In terms of projections for what the Bulls will have to work with this summer, the Bulls will have roughly $22-24 million to play with (if Gasol and Noah both walk), along with unrestricted free agent E’Twaun Moore in the fold (and in line to be re-signed).
If Noah and Gasol both walk (and minus two draft picks in June’s draft), this is what the Bulls roster will look like:
| Point Guard | Shooting Guard | Small Forward | Power Forward | Center |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derrick Rose | Jimmy Butler | Mike Dunleavy | Nikola Mirotic | Cristiano Felicio |
| Justin Holiday | Tony Snell | Doug McDermott | Bobby Portis | Cameron Bairstow |
| E'Twaun Moore (UFA) | ||||
The salary cap will rise from $70 million to around $92 million this summer, which means that $22-24 million would go into four open roster spots (including a first-round pick likely being on the opening night roster).
Another issue with Ezeli is that he’ll likely be outside of the Bulls’ price range (similarly to Whiteside). The Sporting News reported earlier in the month of May that Ezeli could command $50 million over the next three seasons (h/t San Francisco Chronicle).
So, with neither Ezeli or Whiteside looking like legitimate options for the Bulls this summer, is bringing back Noah the best option? Obviously things could change with someone like Ezeli, but it will likely be hard to top some of the offers he might receive from other franchises.
The question may not be whether or not Joakim Noah is actually leaving Chicago.
Next: Understanding the Bulls' salary cap over the summer
The question is, can the Bulls afford to let him leave?