The Chicago Bulls were quiet on the first day of free agency, which started slowly but should pick up steam now that Paul George has decided to go to Philadelphia.
The Bulls did re-sign Patrick Williams to a deal that drew mixed reviews. Five years and $90 million could look like a bargain deal if Williams stays healthy and realizes his potential, but if he doesn’t, it’s a lot of money and years locked up in a guy who hasn’t proven much in the NBA.
The Bulls also lost one of their own free agents when Andre Drummond went to Philly on a modest 2-year deal that will pay him around $10 million.
Free agent center Andre Drummond plans to sign a two-year, $10-plus million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. pic.twitter.com/pyWXWafW26
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2024
Drummond is just the latest in the Bulls’ long history of botched asset management, and may have cost them more than just draft assets.
The Chicago Bulls mishandled Andre Drummond badly
The Bulls need depth at center, so it wouldn’t have been terrible if they had just brought Drummond back. Of course, he may have wanted to go to a contender, but if Chicago could have reunited with him on what amounted to a minimum deal, they should have considered it.
The Bulls already missed their chance to cash in on Drummond, as they were reportedly offered three second-round picks for him at the deadline, which they turned down in a silly attempt to make the playoffs.
Second-round picks aren’t great assets but they can be useful. So far this offseason, we’ve seen teams use second-round picks to move up in the draft and to rid themselves of onerous contracts.
With the second apron penalties forcing more teams to shed money, second-round picks should become increasingly valuable as cash-strapped teams try to trade out of the late first round to avoid the guaranteed salary.
An additional three second-round picks could have helped the Bulls in the Draft or in their attempt to move Zach LaVine.
With the news that the Bulls signed Jalen Smith (it literally just broke), it makes sense that they didn’t bring back Drummond but even less that they didn’t trade him in the first place.
This follows the Bulls waiting too long to move Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan. They already had to take less for Caruso and now could lose DeRozan for nothing.
The Bulls have a poor history of asset management and it has slowed their rebuild, as they don’t have extra draft assets that they could have had to use in trades and to shed contracts.