3) Chicago Bulls remaining free agent targets
It’s a fun idea to think about the possibility of the Bulls wanting to bring the 6-foot-9 and 235 pound veteran 35-year-old big man Taj Gibson back to where his career began in the Windy City. They do have the opportunity to likely get Gibson signed down to a value contract, if that’s the move that Karnisovas and Eversley would tactically make heading into the fourth year of the rebuild.
Gibson is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and is likely to get a contract ballparked around $5-9 million, depending on how many suitors he winds up with and which situation he falls into. If there’s not that many suitors lining up to get the services of Gibson, then the Bulls should definitely see what price tag it would take to get him back to Chicago.
Last season, Gibson played in 62 regular season games during the shortened campaign with the New York Knicks (56 of which he started in). And he averaged 6.1 points per game, 4.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.5 blocks. Gibson shot 58.4 percent from the field, 28.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 73.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Bringing Gibson back for the Bulls likely wouldn’t mean that he is going to assume a starting role right out of the gates. The plan in that scenario shouldn’t be to have Gibson as a starter, but more or less a sixth or seventh man off the bench. He could help continue to mentor the likes of center Wendell Carter Jr. and power forward Lauri Markkanen. Even Gafford could benefit greatly from his veteran presence in the locker room.