Khem Birch, C
One underrated need for the Bulls’ front office to take on this offseason is going to be adding depth to the frontcourt rotation. Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley shipped off a trio of key Bulls big men in the frontcourt rotation at the trade deadline back on March 25.
And the frontcourt rotation is set to get even thinner this offseason, with the Bulls potentially seeing 28-year-old big man Cristiano Felicio and fourth-year power forward Lauri Markkanen walk in free agency.
While it is fine to see the overpaid Felicio walk, Markkanen does still fill a valuable role off the bench for the Bulls at this point in time.
The Bulls will have to fill that frontcourt rotation in some form or fashion, and one way to look would be with a free agent target like the former Magic and current Toronto Raptors center Khem Birch. The undervalued 28-year-old 6-foot-9 and 235 pound big man was dished out from the Magic to the Raptors just after the trade deadline passed.
Birch is set to hit the free agent market this offseason, when his current contract that is worth just $3 million annually runs up at the end of the current season. His price tag likely won’t be high, but he was a productive teammate of Vooch’s, and could fill a needed role for the Bulls.
In 63 games played between his time with the Raptors and Magic this season, he’s averaged 6.7 points per game, 5.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks. And he shot 49.5 percent from the field, 26.8 percent from beyond the arc, and 69.7 percent from the free-throw line.