1. Incumbents and Longshots
Otto Porter Jr. – PO 2020 – UFA 2021
The simplest answer if Porter Jr. does, in fact, opt-out is to make a strong effort to retain his services. A trade with the Washington Wizards brought the 6’8” forward to Chicago after the All-Star break and his play justified the decision. As mentioned before, he is set to make over $28 million in 2020 so odds are he stays, but the possibility exists that he doesn’t.
Porter Jr. averaged 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and a career-high 2.7 assists over 15 games with the Bulls. His shooting and defense meshed well between offensive hubs Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen. He scored just under 63 percent of his points off an assist and knocked down 58.8 percent of his catch-and-shoot three-point attempts.
Chandler Hutchison – CO 2020
This is the option the front office wants to see hit the most. A promise was reportedly made to Chandler Hutchison’s camp before the 2018 draft. If he was there, the Bulls would take him if he agreed to pull out of participating in events at the NBA Combine. Whether they actually made that promise or not, he wound up in Chicago.
Hutchison’s rookie season was one to forget; marred by injury and ineffectiveness. He registered an uninspiring 5.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in 44 games with 14 starts. He was sub-50 percent in effective field goal percentage and just over 50 percent in true shooting. But his collegiate career hints that a sizeable jump may come in year two.