2) Chicago Bulls underrated remaining FA targets
Adding the likes of the former Milwaukee Bucks 10th overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft, big man Thon Maker, would be a very different path for the Bulls to take. Although it likely wouldn’t take much at this point in time for the Bulls to be able to sign Maker off of the restricted free agent market.
The 7-foot and 210 pound forward is now 23 years old and did not receive a qualifying offer from the Detroit Pistons this offseason. Thus he doesn’t really have a solid foundation of suitors since this cycle of free agency started and he could be a good find for the Bulls. They wouldn’t have much competition in all likelihood bidding up the price of Maker.
What the Bulls would have to do with Maker is be patient with his development and put him in the best situation possible to facilitate that improvement for the next year or two. He didn’t really get that patience with either the Pistons or Bucks. Maker also never really got a consistent shot to succeed in any season with either of those two teams.
Last season, Maker played in 60 regular season games with the Pistons (14 of which he started in). And he averaged 4.7 points per game, 2.8 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.7 blocks. Maker shot 48.2 percent from the field, 34.4 percent from beyond the arc, and 66.4 percent from the free-throw line.
There was clear improvement in a number of areas of Maker’s game (namely shot selection and on-ball defense) and the Pistons just gave up on him entering this offseason. That could be to the benefit of Karnisovas and the Bulls.