1. Cristiano Felicio, Power Forward/Center
There are clear flaws with the contracts that Porter Jr. and Kornet have on this current Bulls team. But nothing comes close to matching how bad the contract of the inept 6-foot-10 and 270 pound Brazilian big man Cristiano Felicio is. Due an average of around $8 million per year in the final two years of his contract, Felicio will definitely soon be a candidate for the Bulls to stretch and waive.
Kris Dunn, Coby White, Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter Jr., and Daniel Gafford are all paid at least $2.5 million less annually than Felicio. As one of the five highest paid player on the books right now for the Bulls, Felicio might actually carry the NBA’s worst contract this season. He is just a player that doesn’t belong in the league.
When the buyout period arrives next season, the Bulls should really be thinking about dumping Felicio off if they are anywhere close to the point of playoff contention. Karnisovas likely knows that, and wants to get the cap sheet anchor that is Felicio off his books as soon as it makes the most sense.
In 22 games played this season, Felicio averaged 3.9 points per game, 4.6 rebounds, 0.7 assists, and somehow only 0.1 blocks, while shooting 63.0 percent from the field and 78.3 percent from the charity stripe. There are so many power forwards and/or centers that the Bulls could pickup in the second round of the NBA Draft or in free agency that are better options than Felicio off the bench.