2) Former Gators the Chicago Bulls should pursue: Joakim Noah
A name that would be great to see land in the Windy City to wrap up his NBA career is the former Gators star big man (currently with the Los Angeles Clippers) Joakim Noah. As one of the first real success stories for Donovan as the Gators head basketball coach, Noah was able to win a National Championship during his time in Gainesville.
Noah was the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft for the Bulls. He spent a few years at Florida honing in his skill set before arriving in the NBA and making an immediate impact for the Bulls. The two-time All-Star selection, 2013-14 Defensive Player of the Year award winner, three-time All-Defensive Team selection, and one-time All-NBA Team selection was huge for the Bulls during his time in the Windy City.
Now having played in more than 650 career regular season games, Noah averaged 8.8 points per game, 9.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.3 blocks. The glory days of Noah are definitely behind him, but he was still able to provide a lot of utility in his last three stops, with the Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, and New York Knicks.
What Noah could bring to the table for the Bulls is a nice reunion where he could mentor younger bigs like Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter Jr., Daniel Gafford, Luke Kornet, etc. If the Bulls have an open roster spot for Noah this offseason, it would be great to see him get a one-year deal to round out his NBA career with his former college coach.