Chicago Bulls: Ranking which players should return next season
Players that are on the brink for the Chicago Bulls
Thaddeus Young, Forward
The former Indiana Pacers power forward Young had a lot of promise with the Bulls when he was first signed to a three-year deal worth a little more than $42 million in total over the life of the contract last offseason. Young seemed to be promised a role that would keep him in a position where he could still thrive like he did in Indy, but could help mentor this young core.
Former head coach Jim Boylen wound up putting Young in a role that was anything but that. The Bulls radically tried to change Young’s game, including essentially making him just a stretch forward and sometimes a defensive specialty matchup off the bench. Young also clashed with power forward Lauri Markkanen in the rotation.
Confidence meter that he’ll return: 5/10
Shaquille Harrison, Combo Guard
I really think that Harrison offered a lot of value for the Bulls last season. He broke through in a big way down the stretch after Boylen really limited his role at the outset of the 2019-20 regular season. Harrison played in 43 games (10 of which he started in) during the 2019-20 regular season with the Bulls.
And he averaged 4.9 points per game, 2.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.4 blocks. Harrison shot 46.7 percent from the field, 38.1 percent from beyond the arc, and 78.0 percent from the free-throw line. The inefficiencies of Harrison were really minimized down the stretch last season. He registered a team and career-high 2.8 box plus/minus rating, .153 win shares per 48 minutes, and a 17.8 player efficiency rating.
While I do see the value that the Bulls would get in bringing back Dunn, I’m not a huge fan of just letting Harrison walk on the free agent market. He could be a hidden gem of a find for another suitor.