In recent memory, the player retention decisions for the Chicago Bulls actually wasn’t all that bad despite other poor roster decisions in the meantime.
Throughout the recent history of the Chicago Bulls runs in free agency, there was a very mixed bag of successes and whiffs to mention. The Bulls usually don’t tend to strike big on the free agent market, at least as recent history goes. But free agency is a two-way street where they have to make sure they are retaining the right players as well as signing the right ones.
Under the direction of former vice president of basketball operations John Paxson and general manager Gar Forman, the Bulls were able to land quality starters in free agency at best. But they did lose a handful of quality players to the free agent market before they were truly able to blossom in the NBA.
When GarPax were the lead voices in the front office, the Bulls drafted better than they were able to develop players. In the NBA player development and savvy roster construction is just as important as drafting well up front. This is the area where the Bulls could really improve under their new front office tandem of former Denver Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas and Philadelphia 76ers VP of player personnel Marc Eversley.
Karnisovas will be the lead voice among the executives, with the official title of executive VP of basketball operations. And Eversley will be taking over as the next general manager in place of Forman.
However, what are the successes and abject failures that this franchise saw under GarPax and former general manager Jerry Krause that the new front office tandem can learn from?
Here’s a look back at the three eventual free agents that the Bulls gave up on too early.