Chicago Bulls: 3 free agents to sign with Nikola Vucevic out

Free agents the Chicago Bulls could sign in Nikola Vucevic’s absence: Meyers Leonard

Although I would still be a fan of the Bulls’ front office initially trying to sign Baynes if they turned to the free agent market in the wake of Vooch’s absence this week, there is one other big man that could still be a decent fit at this point in time. The former Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers floor-spacing big man Meyers Leonard is definitely an option worth considering if the Bulls were to turn to free agency.

Yet, if there was a chance that the Bulls could go out and sign the veteran three-time All-Star and one-time Defensive Player of the Year big man Marc Gasol, I think that would clearly be the best move. But it sounds like Gasol is going overseas to Spain to play maybe one more season in Europe to round out his pro hoops career.

This is where targeting an adept big man that can space the floor well like Leonard could help the Bulls in Vooch’s absence. Someone like Baynes would be a bigger presence down low and give the offense someone to set more effective picks, but Leonard can still be a threat off-ball.

The Bulls are clearly struggling in the three-point shooting department of late. In the loss to the Warriors, the Bulls shot just shy of 30 percent from beyond the arc. And the shooting from downtown, in general, has started to slip of late for Donovan and the Bulls.

Leonard could contribute a lot of value to the Bulls to help out in this regard. He’s nearly a career 40 percent shooter from beyond the arc. Leonard is also a good rebounder and a big body to have on defense in the paint.

It is a stretch to think that the Bulls’ front office would go out to sign someone like Leonard this early on in the regular season. But if there is a consideration that the Bulls are going to turn to free agency to help fill a void in the frontcourt depth, Leonard should be one of the first calls from the likes of Karinsovas and Eversley.