After limping to 40 wins and failing to qualify for the postseason for the second-consecutive season, the Chicago Bulls had their disappointing season poetically capped off with a play-in tournament loss to the same team they swept in the regular season in the Miami Heat. Regressing from the 46-36 record this team achieved just a year ago, the Bulls now find themselves in a state of limbo with several tough choices to be made.
If we’re being honest here, this team wouldn’t be in this situation unless it had clear flaws that need addressing. Unfortunately, without the rights to either of their draft picks this season and no cap space to sign big free agents, Chicago will have to get creative if they wish to patch these holes in the roster.
This problem is only made even more difficult to manage with six key players from this year’s roster set to hit free agency. The Bulls won’t have the money or the flexibility to keep them all around, so now is the time for Chicago to begin considering their options here.
The Chicago Bulls should expect a significant amount of roster turnover in the 2023 offseason, as several key players are set to hit free agency.
In fact, the only players guaranteed to be on the payroll (barring any trades) next year are Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Williams, Alex Caruso, Lonzo Ball, Dalen Terry, and Derrick Jones Jr. (who recently opted into his player option).
Nikola Vucevic, Javonte Green, and Patrick Beverley will all be hitting unrestricted free agency. Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu will also be free agents, albeit restricted. Andre Drummond can still opt out of his player option if he wishes, and Marko Simonovic and Carlik Jones each have unguaranteed contracts for next season. On top of all that, both of the team’s two-way players in Terry Taylor and Justin Lewis are currently unsigned for the future.
If you couldn’t tell already, it’s clear that this roster will likely undergo a significant amount of turnover this summer. This issue is amplified due to the fact ownership wishes to stay under the luxury tax threshold, especially because this team hasn’t proven that it’s even worth spending big money on.
For that reason, we can expect a few members of this current roster to look elsewhere in the offseason. Here’s a look at the three players I think will most likely be playing for another team at the start of the 2023-24 season.