The Chicago Bulls have found great success this season and are officially contenders. The most influential player to the Bulls’ success has undoubtedly been DeMar DeRozan, who was acquired this past offseason.
Fans should be thrilled with the Bulls roster, which has great veterans and foundational players for the future.
But there are many questions surrounding Chicago heading into this offseason, which will once again be a crucial one in terms of free agency, trades and draft picks in order for them to remain in contention for years to come.
Here are the most pressing issues from a player perspective the Bulls will face once July arrives.
Coby White
This should serve as a “run it back” year for the Bulls. This year, the Bulls have struggled with bench scoring, ranking 29th in the NBA (trailing only) Toronto). Coby White scores the majority of those points, averaging 14 per game along with three rebounds and three assists. Many Bulls fans have complained about the inconsistency of White, but he’s only 21 years old. There’s a lot of room for him to grow and the front office knows this. The Bulls will almost definitely exercise White’s team option on his contract.
Derrick Jones Jr.
Derrick Jones Jr. is a high flyer who has provided a spark off the bench. DJJ is somewhat of a journeyman at this point in his career, but he’s only 25 years old. He’s making $9.7 million, which is perhaps a little much for what he’s able to contribute, so it’s hard to know if the Bulls will re-sign him. As a Bulls fan, I really like him and would love to see the team re-sign him at something like two years and $12 million.
Zach LaVine
All-star Zach LaVine has been the foundation for the Bulls over the last few years. LaVine has made it clear he wants a max contract or something close to it. He’s also voiced that he likes the Bulls and wants to be in Chicago. I would be shocked (and devastated) if LaVine didn’t re-sign, though I am confident he will. I think the Bulls will give him his bag, and deservedly so.
Matt Thomas
I’m going to keep this short and sweet. I do not want to re-sign Matt Thomas. His role is very replaceable — he’s a bad defender and is way too ambitious with his shot selection.
DeMar DeRozan
We have DeRozan locked up for the next two years, and the only worry heading into next season is if he can continue with his MVP-caliber play. Even if the Bulls don’t get MVP DeMar in 2022-2023, they will still have an All-Star and reliable veteran.
Troy Brown Jr.
Troy Brown Jr. is on the last year of his rookie contract (which includes his time with the Wizards). TBJ is a great on-ball defender and has shown he can knock down the three-pointer. There haven’t been any reports that the Bulls will look to re-sign him, though. In fact, TBJ’s name was thrown around in talks during the trade deadline. This comes as an unpopular opinion from a Bulls fan, but I think TBJ has a lot of potential to be a rotational player in the future. An ideal deal for me would be giving Brown a two-year, $10 million contract.
Windy City Bulls
I have been to a few Windy City Bulls games this year, and they’ve got some talented players. Devon Dotson and Marko Simonovic have played nearly every game there, while Tyler Cook and Malcolm Hill have had some time with Chicago. But with the lack of big man depth (because Tony Bradley isn’t effective), I would love to see Tyler Cook serve as the primary backup big next season.
Dotson plays best when he’s the primary facilitator, so it may be difficult to have him play key minutes for Chicago. As far as Marko goes, he really just isn’t ready to play any minutes at the next level. Finally, Malcolm Hill has shown he can hit big shots in key minutes, but I would like to see these three players continue to develop and perhaps they can be rotational players two or three years down the line.
Zach LaVine prioritizing playoff success over contract negotiations
Chicago Bulls' two-time All-Star shooting guard Zach LaVine is reportedly focusing on playoff success over his contract discussions at the moment.