5 best free agent options for Bulls after 2022 NBA Draft

4. Mo Bamba

This isn’t the first time we’ve advocated for the Bulls to pursue Orlando’s Mo Bamba, and for good reason. Bamba has all the defensive intangibles a team like Chicago is looking for in a reserve big man and could become a real difference-maker should he come to the Windy City.

Bamba has fantastic defensive intangibles and an enormous frame to support his transition to becoming a lockdown defender, but he has yet to take that final step. Thus far in his career, Mo has been the type of player to go for flashy blocks (he averaged 2.3 blocks per 36 minutes last season) but hasn’t committed to making the consistent stops that won’t go on highlight reels.

However, Orlando has been notorious for its inability to develop talent in recent years, so I wouldn’t write Bamba off just yet. In fact, he’s already shown signs of becoming a more mature and vigilant defender on his own by working to cut down on one of his biggest faults — overeagerly committing fouls.

• 2018-19: 6.5 personal fouls per 100 possessions
• 2019-20: 6.4 personal fouls per 100 possessions
• 2020-21: 5.8 personal fouls per 100 possessions
• 2021-22: 4.8 personal fouls per 100 possessions

It would be an ironic twist of fate should Bamba come to Chicago and discover newfound success, just like Wendell Carter Jr. has by moving on from the Bulls to the Magic. It’s hard to say if Bamba would once again accept a reserve role behind Nikola Vucevic; But with Vooch’s contract set to expire, a promise of the starting role in the future may be enough to lure Bamba to town.