Chicago Bulls: 4 free agents that could fill Markkanen’s role

After being relegated to the bench in his first two seasons in Denver and Minnesota, Jarred Vanderbilt finally got a fair chance in the rotation entering his third NBA season with the Timberwolves. He registered just 17.8 minutes per game (the lowest of any player on this list) but made a noticeable impact in that time.

Vanderbilt proved to have great defensive potential despite battling other J-named prospects like Jaden McDaniels, Jarrett Culver, Josh Okogie, and Jaylen Nowell for any additional playing time. Vanderbilt averaged 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks per 36 minutes with a 1.0 defensive box plus/minus.

Since Minnesota has so many options to choose from—and with McDaniels emerging as the best of the bunch—it’s possible the Bulls could pry Vanderbilt away without having his offer matched as a restricted free agent.

Although it seems the Bulls are going all-in on the plan to win now, they’ve done a great job of retaining their future potential and prospects. Chicago managed to add DeRozan, Vucevic, and Ball in the span of six months without giving up their two most valuable prospects in Williams and White. Shown by the fact the Bulls got a first-round pick back in the Markkanen trade, it’s clear that management isn’t being short-sighted in their efforts.

Speaking of the Markkanen trade, Vanderbilt draws a likeness to Derrick Jones Jr. in a 6-foot-9 body. This team needs as many quality defenders and lob threats for Lonzo. One of the biggest criticisms of Vanderbilt is his bad hands, but he’d have some of the best playmakers and lob-passers in the NBA to help alleviate those issues. I believe that’s a small flaw that could be coached out but if it’s enough for the Timberwolves to let him walk I think it would be a foolish opportunity for the Bulls to miss out on.