Filling the positional needs that have come to the forefront of late for the Chicago Bulls will be something that all fans of this team are watching from the front office. Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley are about to have a very busy summer, thus they need to know what options are on the table now.
The Bulls have a plethora of positional needs to fill, depending on which impending free agents they do decide to re-sign this summer. Karnisovas and Eversley are likely to bring back some key players, such as center Daniel Theis and maybe even shooting guard Javonte Green.
But players that the Bulls could let walk this offseason include shooting guard/wing Denzel Valentine, fourth-year power forward Lauri Markkanen, and definitely big man Cristiano Felicio. With the Bulls having more players entering free agency this offseason than they did last, it is bound to be busier no matter what for Karnisovas and Eversley.
Finding the right supporting cast will be a huge factor for the Chicago Bulls
About the only difference between last fall and now is the fact that they have at least now had one season to evaluate the talent on hand, and even make some big deadline moves to reshape the roster. The Bulls do now have a steady core to build around in the trio of star shooting guard Zach LaVine, center Nikola Vucevic, and rookie forward Patrick Williams.
One particular area that Bulls fans are hoping that the front office upgrades at this offseason is at the point guard position. The Bulls don’t look to have a point guard of the future in either Coby White or Tomas Satoransky.
Here’s a look into three ways that the Bulls could possibly upgrade at the point guard position this offseason.
How the Chicago Bulls can upgrade at point guard: Get lucky in the draft lottery
Of all of the possibilities on this list for the Bulls, the one that would be the least likely to happen is the team getting lucky in the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery back to get their first-round pick back from the Orlando Magic. The Bulls shipped off third-year center Wendell Carter Jr., veteran small forward Otto Porter Jr., and two first-round draft picks to the Magic in the deadline day deal that landed them Vucevic and veteran forward Al-Farouq Aminu.
At the moment, the Bulls have roughly a 20 percent chance of striking a good bit of luck in the lottery and getting back in the top four. They would need to get back into the top four to utilize that lottery protection and get their pick back from the Magic.
Maybe Karnisovas and the Bulls can get lucky this summer like they did last offseason and move up into the top four in the draft lottery. Or maybe the Bulls front office regime has now used up all of their luck since they slid up the board three spots in last year’s draft lottery to be able to snag P-Will.
If the Bulls were to somehow get into the top four this summer in the draft, then they could have a shot at fixing their point guard problem immediately with someone like former Oklahoma State freshman star Cade Cunningham, Gonzaga freshman Jalen Suggs, or even Tennessee guard Jaden Springer.
Cunningham looks to be the grand prize of this draft class at the moment, hence why Bulls fans would love the opportunity to get him. The odds that the Bulls could even have a shot to draft Cunningham without giving up a ton in a trade (which I wouldn’t recommend) are very slim, though.
How the Chicago Bulls can upgrade at point guard: Get veteran help
An underrated, but potentially expensive, option that Karnisovas and the Bulls could look to this summer for help at the point guard position is with a few of the veterans that are set to have their contracts run-up. The shortlist of the big veteran names that could hit free agency include the Phoenix Suns star point guard Chris Paul and Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors.
Given that the Suns could likely offer more money and a better situation immediately to the 36-year-old CP3, he’s probably not looking to leave the desert. But if the situation with the Suns doesn’t work out with CP3 in the end, then it is obviously worth the front office keeping an eye on where he intends to land next.
Since CP3 is a very unlikely possibility for the Bulls to sign, or trade for, this summer, I’m a fan of the idea of targeting Lowry. The former Raptors star point guard is going to be one of the more sought-after veteran targets in free agency this summer if he’s not planning a return to Toronto. And it really doesn’t look like it is going to work out between Lowry and the Raptors moving forward.
Lowry is not going to command max-contract level money in all likelihood on his next deal. At 35 years of age, Lowry is likely looking to get back firmly in playoff contention at his next destination. If he feels like the Bulls could offer him something like that, then Karnisovas and Eversley might be able to get him at a decent price compared to what some of the other point guards will command this summer.
How the Chicago Bulls can upgrade at point guard: The Lonzo Ball solution
This is clearly going to be the favorite option for most Bulls fans to fill the need at the point guard position. If there were a way to get head coach Billy Donovan a true starting point guard for the future in the way of the New Orleans Pelicans’ impending restricted free agent and fourth-year former UCLA Bruins floor general Lonzo Ball, that seems to be the best way to fill this need.
The problem with trying to get Lonzo in free agency, or via a sign-and-trade deal this offseason, is how much it could cost the Bulls in terms of draft/player assets and cap space. Ball might be able to command an annual salary on his next contract worth somewhere in the realm of $16-$20 million. With how much young two-way point guards like him are coveted in free agency in the modern-day, it doesn’t look like it will come easy for Karnisovas and the Bulls to sign him.
Watch out for other competing teams looking his way like the Pelicans, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, etc. There could be other suitors for Lonzo waiting in the wings too. It’s hard to know exactly how many suitors will be coming his way. But no matter what, the Bulls are going to have a dog fight on their hands if they want to nab him heading into next season.
It feels like the ability of the Bulls to sign Ball this summer pretty much solely hinges on how valuable they feel he could be to their new starting unit heading into next season. If the Bulls do feel like there are other options out there that could suit them just as, or almost as good as, Lonzo would then it doesn’t make sense to get him at near max contract-level money.