Chicago Bulls free agents they must avoid this summer: Kelly Oubre Jr.
Next up comes a much younger player than Conley but still someone the Bulls need to avoid for a number of reasons. Oubre Jr. is a wing that would clog up the minutes available to Patrick Williams, who just finished a promising but not jaw-dropping rookie season.
The two would certainly be able to play alongside one another on the wing in small-ball lineups. It would be an interesting group alongside a backcourt of White and LaVine, to say the least. As talented as Vooch is at the five spot, that’s where the concerns would be too much to consider.
He could cover the rebounding or lack thereof, but the group would struggle mightily on defense. Only Williams can be considered a plus defender of the five and there would be absolutely no rim protection on the floor.
The electric offense created would simply not be able to cover the atrocious defense created. Oubre is a talented player but like Conley and the remaining players on this list, simply would not move the needle enough at the price tag he is expected to demand on the open market.
The fact that he does not fill one of the many holes on the current Bulls roster only adds to the list of reasons the Bulls would be wise to stay away. While a potential ‘prove it’ type of deal isn’t out of the picture for Oubre, the Bulls should not be interested in that either.
Any players that are going to take up a significant amount of cap space for this team need to be players that are expected to be on the team long term. Oubre does not project as a fit for the short-term or long-term development of this team.