Chicago Bulls: Grading the 2019 offseason moves
Signed Luke Kornet: 2 Years, $4.5 Million
Luke Kornet started his NBA career on a two-way deal with the New York Knicks. He eventually earned a one year deal at the NBA level, but appears to have been left in the dust when the Knicks went out and signed virtually every power forward on the free agent market.
The Bulls gave him a multi-year, fully-guaranteed deal this summer, which is a bit surprising considering he has never played over 17 minutes per contest.
On the other hand, Kornet’s skillset is ideal for today’s NBA. He is a 7 foot, 1 inch stretch four who excels at shot blocking, arguably a very poor man’s Brook Lopez, if you will. Perhaps playing beside an elite stretch four Lauri Markkanen will help Kornet to develop his game into a solid role player going forward for the Bulls.
At only 24 years of age, Kornet fits the timeline of this Bulls team and could be the backup power forward going forward if he pans out. In addition, Kornet’s skill set fits very well with Daniel Gafford’s back to the basket style of play, and the two could complement each other very well.