Milwaukee Bucks – Bobby Portis
Of all the names on this list, signing Bobby Portis is probably the least likely to happen. Portis has found the perfect fit for himself in Milwaukee, where he’s been allowed to focus on what he’s best at and develop into a fan favorite. That being said, Portis would greatly help this Bulls team as well, so it could be worth at least floating a fair reunion offer to at least make the Bucks pay the market price for an elite bench player like Portis.
Cleveland Cavaliers – Ed Davis
As far as free agents go, the Cleveland Cavaliers will likely be turning their full focus towards retaining Collin Sexton. Already loaded up on scoring guards, it makes little sense for the Bulls to commit major money to a player like Sexton. A veteran mentor like Rajon Rondo or Ed Davis would make much more sense.
Considering the recent controversy surrounding Rondo (and the fact his last stint in Chicago didn’t go so well), I’d say Davis would be the preferable option here. Even Damian Lillard named Davis his “favorite teammate of all time.” That type of presence in the locker room could be extremely valuable to Chicago’s young core.
Indiana Pacers – Jalen Smith
Jalen Smith is an interesting case here because he shouldn’t even be a free agent in the first place. The Phoenix Suns decided not to pick up the final two years on his rookie deal, before dealing him away to Indiana. Smith would make a strong impression with the Pacers, averaging 13.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game as a stretch big that hit 37.3% of his 3-point attempts. Since the Pacers won’t have the finances available to re-sign the big man, Smith presents a real opportunity for the Bulls to get a huge steal in free agency.
Detroit Pistons – Marvin Bagley III
I don’t love the idea of paying the former No. 2 overall pick Marvin Bagley big money, but it’s still hard to discount the potential he may possess, especially given Sacramento’s notorious inability to develop their own talent. It’s reasonable to believe Bagley could succeed elsewhere. Given his inability to stretch the floor with a good 3-point shot, however, I wouldn’t be interested in Bagley coming to Chicago unless it were for dirt cheap.
Chicago Bulls – Zach LaVine
To cap things off, the Bulls’ top priority this offseason will be to re-sign their own free agent above all else. Chicago’s road to championship contention runs through LaVine, and letting their star guard leave for nothing in free agency would be a cataclysmic failure on the front office’s part. Even if the Bulls don’t sign anyone else on this list, free agency would still be considered a success if LaVine is still playing for Chicago next year.