When the Chicago Bulls selected Dalen Terry 18th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, the front office clearly signaled their intention to take the best player available and worry about roster fit later. While Terry has given fans much to be excited about, the issues regarding Chicago’s size on the interior and rim protection still remain.
The Bulls will likely also look to bolster the team’s shooting off the bench. But until they find adequate bench pieces at the four and five, everything else is a luxury. For that reason, this list will focus on free agent big men that can immediately come in and fill that hole for Chicago.
Although these players did not make the list, I’d like to give an honorable mention to JaVale McGee, Bismack Biyombo, Kevon Looney, Thaddeus Young, and Mike Muscala. Each of these players would be fine additions to the roster and are players I could realistically see the Bulls targeting in free agency.
But if Chicago intends to make a real difference-making splash in free agency, these players should be at the top of their radar.
Now that the 2022 NBA Draft has come and passed, the Chicago Bulls will have to make a few savvy moves in free agency to fill any remaining holes.
5. Jalen Smith
Jalen Smith is a particularly interesting option here, as he is a rare instance of a team declining the third and fourth-year team option of a lottery pick. This was assumed to be an attempt by the Phoenix Suns to avoid the luxury tax. But now that Deandre Ayton looks to be on the way out of town, this decision seems to be an egregious error on behalf of Phoenix’s front office.
The Suns dealt Smith away at the trade deadline for scraps, and he immediately went on to excel with the Indiana Pacers. Smith averaged 13.4 points and 7.6 rebounds in just 24 minutes per game after the trade.
Most surprising of all, he proved to be an effective 3-point threat. Smith displayed a range we’d never seen before in Indiana. Now that he’d been given a larger role, Jalen would drill 37.3% of his 3-pointers on a solid volume of 3.8 attempts per game. Given that shooting has been one of the Bulls’ biggest weaknesses, signing Smith could address two problems in one signing by adding size and shooting at the same time.
Due to league rules surrounding declined options, Indiana cannot offer Smith any more than a $4.5 million deal, meaning this is a perfect opportunity for a third party to swoop in and steal Jalen away. It remains to be seen if Smith can be the rim protector the Bulls need, but he’s the type of low-risk, high-reward gamble that could really pay off.
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.
3. Nic Claxton
Similar to the aforementioned Jalen Smith, Nic Claxton looks primed to be a casualty of financial decisions as Brooklyn’s payroll has reached apocalyptic levels of undesirable. The Nets are set to owe $96.7 million to Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons, and Joe Harris alone. When you factor in Kyrie Irving’s aggressive pursuit of a max contract extension this summer, this issue becomes even more pressing.
The most likely victim to Brooklyn’s books is the promising restricted free agent Claxton. Brooklyn reserves the right to match any offer sheet accepted by Claxton, but they won’t be able to afford much other than the bare minimum and will instead have to place their faith in Day’Ron Sharpe.
Claxton’s opportunities thus far have been limited largely due to the minimal role he’s required to take next to the superstar talent in Brooklyn, but he’s still found small ways to contribute and make a difference. He averaged 8.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in just 20 minutes played per game this past season.
Given a larger role, Claxton could provide great value on a cheap contract. Just like they did with Alex Caruso last summer, the Bulls could massively benefit by offering the MLE to a promising player who hasn’t had a real chance to break out yet. Thanks to that four-year deal Caruso signed, Chicago now has an elite backup guard under cheap team control.
I think history could repeat itself here as Chicago attempts to find a capable backup center. Also, Claxton would look amazing in a Bulls jersey. That’s got to be worth something, right?
2. Mitchell Robinson
Mitchell Robinson has been the rumored darling of Chicago’s front office for quite some time. First reported back in February after the trade deadline, the Bulls had been posturing for a Robinson trade, but ultimately couldn’t get the deal done. Now as we enter free agency, the front office will get a second crack at the big man, this time without having to give up assets in return.
According to @NYPost_Berman:
— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) June 11, 2022
1) The Chicago Bulls are doing their research on free agent center Mitchell Robinson ahead of the start of free agency.
2) The Bulls believe Robinson could be a good fit alongside Nikola Vucevic.
You may remember Robinson as the player who knocked Patrick Williams out for the rest of 2021 in just the fifth game of the season. While this contact was completely incidental and just bad luck, there was a lesson to be learned here — don’t try taking it to the rack when Robinson is in your vicinity.
Robinson has made a name for himself as one of the NBA’s best shot blockers and interior defenders, exactly what the Chicago Bulls have been searching for. Robinson has averaged 3 blocks per 36 minutes throughout his career, ranking 2nd, 5th, 11th, and 4th in blocks per game in each respective season. This stat is particularly impressive when you consider the fact Mitchell has only played an average of 23.8 minutes per game since coming into the league.
Granted, there’s a lot more to playing good defense than generating. That’s something Mitchell has been actively attempting to improve as his game progresses. Mitchell has brought his fouls committed per game down every season in the league, a sign of his dedication to improving his craft.
Mitchell’s offensive game is extremely limited, but he’s efficient at what he does. In fact, he led the NBA in true shooting percentage in 2020 as a rim-running threat on offense. While it would be great to see him open up his offensive game, that’s not necessarily something Chicago even needs from him right now.
1. Isaiah Hartenstein
If the Bulls are to acquire just one big man during this free agency, Isaiah Hartenstein would undoubtedly be at the top of my Christmas wish list.
The advanced metrics love Hartenstein due to his high basketball IQ and ability to affect the game positively on both ends of the court. When I say the advanced metrics love Hartenstein, I mean they love him. In fact, Hartenstein just finished this past season with the 4th highest true shooting percentage, 10th highest win shares per 48 minutes, and the 17th highest PER in the entire NBA.
Somehow, someway, those aren’t even the most exciting advanced metrics supporting Hartenstein’s worth as a player.
Tied with Robert Williams for the 4th best defensive box plus/minus this past season, Hartenstein’s talent as a defender is undeniable. Considering Williams just appeared to be the clear-cut best defensive player in the NBA Finals — even over the Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart himself — this is an extremely impressive accomplishment.
What he lacks in sheer athletic ability, Hartenstein compensates for with his ability to consistently make the right plays and improve his teammates around him. As a plus playmaker and help defender, it’s hard to keep your eyes off his on-court impact even when Hartenstein doesn’t have the ball.
Hartenstein will be set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer, meaning the Bulls will have a golden opportunity to offer him the full MLE and a bigger role. In LA, Hartenstein is stuck behind Ivica Zubac. But with Chicago, he could grow into the heir apparent of the starting center position after Vucevic’s contract expires.
I doubt the Clippers will be willing to let him go without a fight, but if the Bulls could get their hands on Hartenstein, it just might be the steal of the summer.