In the short time since free agency began, the Chicago Bulls have made several moves to both keep some key players and add valuable role players. Assuming the Bulls work toward re-signing restricted free agent Ayo Dosunmu, they have 14 roster spots filled after the moves they’ve made so far this summer. What Chicago does with that 15th and final roster spot may drastically impact their 2023-24 season.
They kicked this offseason off by coming to an agreement with Nikola Vucevic for a contract extension through the next three years and for a total of $60 million. The 32-year-old will likely be receiving one of the last major contracts of his career with the Bulls, and it will be interesting to see how the offensive gameplan with Vooch will change.
Chicago followed this move up by bringing back Coby White on a three-year deal that is worth $33 million plus $7 million in potential incentives. This was an important signing for the Bulls, as White made some huge strides this season and has set his sights on the starting point guard position.
The last thing the Bulls have done so far with their existing players was regarding Lonzo Ball, as they applied for a Disabled Player Exception worth $10.2 million. Lonzo is not expected to play in the upcoming season, and this would allow the Bulls to trade for a player in the final year of their deal or sign a free agent to a one-year deal. This provides more flexibility to the team to gain more pieces and build around their core.
The Chicago Bulls have taken valuable steps to improve the team, but they could still improve by signing one of these three free agents.
Beyond this, the Chicago Bulls added two underrated free agents from contenders: Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig. Carter was the Bucks’ backup PG and proved himself to be an excellent 3-and-D player, shooting 42% from long range and being the hound on defense that he has been since his college days at West Virginia. The Illinois native will be a huge addition to the team, and potentially provide a fearsome defensive backcourt with first-team defender Alex Caruso. The Bulls doubled down on the 3-and-D theme with Torrey Craig, who has shown that he is an excellent defender at the PF position and has improved his three-point shot over time, making 39.5% of his threes on 3.2 attempts per game. These two additions should add some desperately needed shooting to the team, while keeping two-way players.
While the Bulls have made some important moves, they still can improve their team by picking up free agents that are still on the market. The Bulls still need some more size, as they have just two players in their expected rotation that are taller than 6-foot-7. They could still sign a tall power forward to complement Nikola Vucevic and allow Patrick Williams to play the SF more, and the Chicago Bulls should consider signing one of these three free agents.