Chicago Bulls: 3 players Arturas Karnisovas should want gone next season

2. Cristiano Felicio, Power Forward/Center

There’s at least some optimism surrounding Valentine’s situation entering the next free agent cycle that he could get another shot with a different NBA team. But in the case of the 6-foot-10 and 270 pound sizable big man Cristiano Felicio, there’s not many arguments one can make that he should get a shot elsewhere if and/or when he’s bought out by the Bulls.

The problem with buying out Felicio before the start of next season is the sizable contract that he has remaining. Former Bulls vice president of basketball operations John Paxson and general manager Gar Forman handed Felicio an all too sizable contract a few years back that will pay him more than $8 million next season.

Whenever Felicio is on the floor for the Bulls, he tends to be the worst and least efficient on either team. In 22 games played in the season that is currently placed on pause, Felicio averaged 3.9 points per game, 4.6 rebounds, 0.7 assists, and just 0.5 steals and 0.1 blocks while shooting 63.0 percent from the field.

The box plus/minus rating of -3.0 and -0.1 value over replacement player rating does a better job highlighting the true value that Felicio brought to the table this season than a 12.8 player efficiency rating or actually mediocre .126 win shares per 48 minutes. Advanced numbers are a mixed back with Felicio.

But if Karnisovas feels that there’s better value he can find elsewhere with an extra roster spot after buying out Felicio, then it is worth doing.