The odds don’t look good at the moment for the struggling Chicago Bulls to make a postseason run down the stretch this season. First-year head coach Billy Donovan has his team slipping out of the postseason picture in the Eastern Conference standings pretty rapidly of late.
Ahead of a key road meeting with the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center on May 6, the Bulls hold a record of 26-39. Their last game resulted in a loss to the first-place Philadelphia 76ers on the road by a double-digit margin on May 3. Following the 12-point loss to the Sixers earlier in the week, the Bulls also now ride a four-game losing streak.
With the Bulls now sitting more than three games out of the final spot in the standings in the East, it might be worth working toward better draft lottery positioning at this point. The Bulls are getting a ways behind the Washington Wizards and divisional foe Indiana Pacers for the final two spots in the play-in tournament.
And with just seven games remaining on the regular season schedule, it becomes clear how much the Bulls are fighting the odds if they want to make it to the postseason this year.
Differences in the level of contributions from Chicago Bulls players
It is also becoming clear at this point of the season that the Bulls have to make further roster changes this coming offseason if they want to improve their postseason odds ahead of next season. Donovan can evaluate who he feels is the best fit for his team next season down the stretch this month.
Here’s a look into three Bulls players that not only should stick around in the Windy City beyond this season but who deserves a bigger contract than what they have now?
Thaddeus Young, F
I start off this list mostly due to the fact that the way veteran forward Thaddeus Young has started off this season is something that could earn him more than $15 million were he to hit the free agent market this coming offseason. But since the Bulls have Young locked into the next two seasons on his current contract.
So far this season, Young has registered a career-best 3.5 box plus/minus rating, 2.1 value over replacement player rating, .154 win shares per 48 minutes, 59.1 true shooting percentage, and 20.8 player efficiency rating. Those are the types of numbers that can earn a player upward of $15 million easily on the open market.
Young is currently on a contract that pays him just over $13 million annually. And he will eclipse the $14 million mark in salary for the final year of his current contract next season. It will be the summer of 2022 when Young is set to hit the free agent market next. That is still a good while before he is set to negotiate his next contract.
And at 32 years old now, Young likely isn’t going to have much room to negotiate a big-time contract with a lot of years on it come the 2022 free agent cycle. But at least with the way he’s played for Donovan and the Bulls so far this season, he will definitely have some bargaining power given there’s some consistency to his game during the 2021-22 campaign.
Daniel Theis, C
At this point in time, there is a valid argument that could be made that the former Boston Celtics center Daniel Theis has contributed more to winning-level efforts for the Bulls post-trade deadline than the former Orlando Magic star center Nikola Vucevic. Two of the biggest acquisitions for the Bulls at the deadline were Theis and Vooch.
However, with Vooch missing the last two games with the Bulls with injury, a lot of the spotlight is now shining on Theis. And since Donovan regularly included Theis in the starting five since March 25, he’s done his job in excellent fashion. The 6-foot-8 and 245 pound Theis is even more productive in Chicago than he was in Boston this season pre-deadline.
In 20 games played now with the Bulls, Theis averaged 10.0 points per game, 5.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.6 blocks. And he’s shot 52.2 percent from the field, 24.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 62.2 percent from the free-throw line. He’s filling a much-needed role for the Bulls of a solid two-way big man that can hit the glass hard and protect the rim.
Since Theis is currently in the final year of his contract, there is an opportunity for the Bulls to keep him around at their own price tag this offseason. The $5 million that he is making annually on his current contract might not be a price that the Bulls can get Theis at when it comes to negotiation time this offseason, though. He is likely to get a decent pay raise compared to what he’s getting now.
Zach LaVine, SG
The one Bulls player that all fans in the Windy City would love to see get a good contract extension this offseason, especially if his recent level of improvement continues in the next few years, is star shooting guard Zach LaVine. The first-time All-Star selection LaVine had another career year thus far for the Bulls.
And he finally got what was due likely last year to him, when the All-Star Weekend festivities were hosted at the United Center in Chicago, with his first All-Star nod. There was no doubt that with the numbers LaVine has put up this season that he would go without another bid for the festivities. The difference is now that he has a running mate in Vooch that could continue to take his game to the next level heading into next season.
The Bulls are expecting LaVine back for their meeting with the Hornets on the road on May 6. That will be the first game action for LaVine, as he gets out of mandatory quarantine, since mid-April. And he can continue to prove what he can do for this team upon his return to the starting five.
The current contract that LaVine is on with the Bulls, paying him around $18 million annually, presents a figure that is not sustainable given what his asking price is soon to be. LaVine might be up for near-max contract level money in the very near future. If the Bulls want to give him a contract extension this offseason, that might be what they have to offer him.