Chicago Bulls: Malcolm Brogdon is not the answer in free agency

The offense for the Chicago Bulls would be more entertaining with Malcolm Brogdon at the point, but it might not be worth it.

There’s a lot going around right now in terms of what the Chicago Bulls could do on the free agent market heading into this cycle and the month of July. This cycle of free agency begins for the Bulls, and the rest of the NBA, on the evening of June 30. This sandwiches the NBA Draft and the start of free agency within just 10 days of each other. An idea that keeps circulating around the rumor mill is the Bulls going after the former Virginia Cavaliers guard and current Milwaukee Bucks restricted free agent Malcolm Brogdon.

If the Bulls want to go after Brogdon, and make a legitimate effort to bring him into the mix, it will take a lot of money. It would likely take all the salary cap space the Bulls have available right now to acquire Brogdon.

According to an ESPN report, Brogdon could get an offer from the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, and the Bulls. The Celtics were mentioned as a potential landing spot for Brogdon if Charlotte Hornets point guard Kemba Walker doesn’t land in Boston this summer.

The Suns, Mavericks, and Bulls all had big needs at the outset of the offseason to add a point guard. The Bulls were able to land North Carolina Tar Heels former freshman standout point guard Coby White with the seventh pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, so their need at the position diminished a bit. Dallas and Phoenix do still need starting caliber point guards, though.

If the Bulls were to fully pursue Brogdon as a restricted free agent next month, it would be to make a bigger splash and speed up the rebuild in the Eastern Conference. Brogdon was one of the few players in the past decade in the NBA to post a three-point shooting percentage better than 40 percent, free-throw percentage better than 90, and field goals better than 50.

What is rare about Brogdon is a player that fits the modern style of play in the NBA in terms of floor spacing at the age that the Bulls could get him at. The concern for Brogdon will consistently be his injuries in the past, but he could get over that in the right situation with better luck.

However, all these factors in mind make it difficult to foresee it being worth pursuing Brogdon on the free agent market this summer. He just comes with too much risk, too many suitors, and too high of a price tag. The Bulls could wait another summer or two and pursue a legitimate star that would cost around the same contract-wise that Brogdon does. He could cost upward of $20 million per year for at least four years.

Pursuing Malcolm Brogdon is surely a consideration for the Chicago Bulls to get a step closer to playoff contention. Landing Brogdon could even put the Bulls in contention for seven or eight in the standings in the East this coming season. But the cost is just too high.