3 Chicago Bulls players that won’t be brought back next season

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.

1. Javonte Green

As you may remember, the Chicago Bulls originally acquired Javonte Green back in 2021 with a three-team trade that sent Daniel Gafford to Washington and brought Daniel Theis to Chicago. Although Theis was the Bulls’ primary target then, it turns out that Green was the real gem all along.

Green has made a huge impact on this team over the last two seasons despite not having big expectations on his shoulders. Javonte has earned the admiration of the fanbase through his gritty defense and hustle on offense. Not only is he one of the best defenders on this team, but he’s also a dangerous lob threat and solid three-point shooter, knocking down 36% of his triples over the last two seasons.

Despite his solid play when healthy, Javonte Green may decide to move on from the Chicago Bulls this offseason.

Although he’d be a welcome addition back to the rotation, Green will turn 30 years old in July. He’ll most certainly be looking to secure a sizeable payday while he still can, and a lot of teams would surely be interested in his skills at the right price. With the Bulls expected to devote their attention to re-signing Nikola Vucevic and Coby White first, I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest to see Green bolt for a contending team willing to offer a portion of the MLE for his services.

The one factor working in Chicago’s favor right now is the fact Green only played 30 total minutes at the end of the season after undergoing knee surgery in January. If nobody else is interested in supporting Green as he rehabilitates, the Bulls could still offer a short-term deal to allow him to rebuild his value next season.

Whether the Bulls are interested in that possibility, or would rather devote Green’s minutes to Dalen Terry, will likely be the determining factor here.

2. Marko Simonovic

I know, this one may come as a bit of a surprise. After all, it’s pretty easy to forget that Marko Simonovic is even on the Bulls roster at all. In the three seasons that have passed since being drafted 44th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, Simonovic has only played a minuscule 16 games and 55 total minutes.

Despite being named to the 2022 All-Summer League Second Team before the regular season tipped off, Marko was unable to convey that momentum to earn a spot in the rotation. He was only allowed to play in excess of three garbage time minutes just once this year, in the season finale against Detroit.

In eight minutes, Simonovic was largely ineffective, shooting 1-for-3 from the field and reeling in just one rebound. He also committed three fouls in that span, indicating he’s probably still not ready to defend big men at the NBA level.

Marko Simonovic hasn’t shown enough on the court to justify the Chicago Bulls’ patience with his development.

To put things into perspective here, Simonovic was fifth in the depth chart at center behind Nikola Vucevic, a one-dimensional Andre Drummond, a player who isn’t even a center in Derrick Jones Jr., and a player who was cut from the roster in Tony Bradley. If Marko can’t get minutes over these players after three seasons in the NBA, is it really realistic to expect that he’ll ever be able to?

After making $1.56 million this season, Simonovic is on the payroll for $1.83 million next season before hitting free agency in the summer of 2024. However, his deal is structured to be completely unguaranteed, meaning the Bulls have the option to cut Simonovic at no cost this summer.

If the front office is serious about keeping this team in a state to win games, moving on from Simonovic and finding a quality role player to replace his roster spot has to be on the front office’s offseason checklist.

3. Patrick Beverley

Let me preface this by saying I wouldn’t mind seeing Patrick Beverley back on this team next year. Much like Green, he has a mental edge that so many members of this current roster lack. The more players who are willing to put it all on the line every night, the better.

However, Beverley’s mental boost can only take this team so far. It’s no coincidence that he was played off the court in favor of more talented players in the play-in tournament. When push comes to shove, the Bulls need a genuine playmaker and three-point threat out there at point guard, not a glorified assistant coach.

That much was made obvious in the latter half of the season, as Coby White steadily improved and began to look like the player we all hoped he could become when he was selected seventh overall in 2019. Considering White has starting point guard aspirations, the odds that Beverley is brought back to play the starting point position have dropped dramatically.

Although Patrick Beverley made a big impact on the Chicago Bulls this season, he’s far from a sure thing to be brought back next season.

Of course, Beverley could always re-sign to play his more natural role off the bench. This way, he’d still be able to offer a boost in the Bulls’ locker room with his leadership without negatively impacting the team on the court.

However, it’s important to remember that’s the same role Los Angeles had hoped Beverley would be able to play for the Lakers, yet they decided to cut him midseason nonetheless. It’s not like the Bulls are deprived of talent in the backcourt either, as Alex Caruso and Ayo Dosunmu (if he re-signs with Chicago) would happily step up to fill the void left by Beverley.

The Bulls simply don’t have an excess of money or minutes to offer Pat. That begs the question, what incentive does he have to return? As much as he enjoyed playing the temporary hero for his home city, it might make more sense for the journeyman veteran to join a cap-strapped contender like the Suns or a surging young roster in need of veteran leadership like the Grizzlies next season.