Chicago Bulls’ best options to fill last two-way contract slot: Isaiah Hartenstein
If there is still a positional need remaining for the Bulls to fill ahead of the start of Training Camp and the preseason, it lies at the four. I did like the Bulls signing Alize in the last week to likely fill the role of a backup power forward. Johnson is an elite rebounder and a continuously improving defender that can make an impact in limited minutes on both ends of the floor for the Bulls.
One option still available for the Bulls that could be signed in a two-way contract slot to help fill any remaining needs as a reserve big man is the former Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, and Houston Rockets, seven-footer Isaiah Hartenstein. Especially if Karnisovas and the Bulls are looking to add some length at the four or the five in the frontcourt unit to replace the loss of Lauri Markkanen in a cheaper way, Hartenstein could be the way to go.
Markkanen was a better shooter from the outside last season, but Hartenstein has stayed healthy on a more consistent basis. And most of all, Hartenstein will come a lot cheaper to the Bulls than it would’ve cost to re-sign Markkanen out of restricted free agency.
Hartenstein is also a more capable defender and rebounder than Markkanen. It seems like Markkanen’s defensive ability only waned in the last few seasons.
Hartenstein actually registered a solid 1.2 defensive box plus/minus for his career in the NBA. He was really solid all-around for the Cavaliers in the 16 regular season games he played with them down the stretch during the 2020-21 campaign. He registered an assist percentage north of 22, a rebounding percentage north of 18, and a solid 62.0 true shooting percentage.
The Bulls don’t really have someone like Hartenstein in the rotation now that could play minutes at the four and the five, maybe outside of Marko Simonovic. This could be a way for Karnisovas to have an insurance policy in case Simonovic doesn’t pan out in the near future.