Bulls make big mistake with final free agent signing of the summer

After over a week of calm and no news, the Chicago Bulls have finally filled out their roster and added to the depth of their weakest position. That’s because they have officially signed free agent forward Terry Taylor, who first joined Chicago in February last year.

Taylor appeared in just 5 games for the Bulls last season, for a total of 36 combined garbage time minutes. He may still be worth a deeper look, however, as Taylor averaged an incredible 29.8 points and 11.5 rebounds in his four games with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants while having a relatively productive intro to the league with the Pacers during his rookie season.

This move was apparently so unnoteworthy, that not even Shams Charania, Adrian Wojnarowski, or any other NBA beat reporter picked up on it. the Chicago Bulls formally announced this move via their official Twitter page.

By signing Terry Taylor, the Bulls appear to have rounded out their roster for the 2023-24 season.

Taylor has proven to be a relatively effective end of bench player in the past, and in my opinion, definitely deserves another chance in the NBA. But when you look at the gaping hole the Bulls’ have at the forward positions on the depth chart, this signing becomes much more difficult to justify.

Of course, Terry could step into one of these roles, but if the Bulls are trusting him to play heavy minutes this season they may already be doomed. I’m trying to not be too critical, but when you look at the remaining available free agents (P.J. Washington, Christian Wood, Kelly Oubre, etc.) it becomes very clear there were better options at Chicago’s disposal.

Unless they plan on waiving Carlik Jones — which would feel unfair to him at this point, now that the remaining pool of open roster spots is smaller than ever — the Bulls have now filled all 15 roster spots. Conveniently, this signing also keeps Chicago ever so slightly beneath the luxury tax threshold.

It’s hard not to feel like the front office was instructed to prioritize profit over winning basketball games once again. With the recently acquired Disabled Player Exception acquired from Lonzo Ball’s injury, there’s not much excuse to not pursue a higher caliber player here.

It looks like this rendition of the roster is what the Bulls will be taking into the 2023-24 season, and honestly… it’s difficult to be too optimistic that these free agent signings will help Chicago rebound from their poor 40-42 record from last year.