Sharpshooting free agent Bulls could land with the mid-level exception

Fans who are hoping the Chicago Bulls tear down their roster and rebuild this summer are probably going to be disappointed.

The Bulls have indicated that they want to bring back DeMar DeRozan, a sign that the long-awaited rebuild isn’t coming. 

Chicago will likely try to trade Zach LaVine, but if they fail to find a deal they can stomach, the Bulls may be running it back with few ways to improve their roster. 

They will have the mid-level exception at their disposal, which is around $12.9 million according to Spotrac. That’s not a huge amount to land an impact free agent, but there is one sharpshooter who could fall through the cracks. 

Bleacher Report recently named Buddy Hield as a “realistic” target for the Chicago Bulls, and if they aren’t going to significantly retool the roster, he’d be a nice fit. 

Chicago Bulls free agents: Buddy Hield 

The Bulls were just 20th in 3-point percentage this season and 26th in 3-point shots made per game, so they could use some outside shooting. 

Throughout his career, Buddy Hield has been one of the best high-volume 3-point shooters in the league, hitting 40 percent for his career on 7.6 attempts per game. 

Hield is also durable and rarely misses games, a quality the Chicago Bulls could use in their guard ranks. 

There are caveats with Hield, the first being that some other team may offer him more than the mid-level. Even though there aren’t a ton of teams with cap space, someone like the Orlando Magic (who desperately need shooting) could offer Hield more. 

There’s also the fact that Hield could barely get off the bench for Philly in the playoffs (though he did score 20 in the final loss to the Knicks), which should be a concern for a team trying to get there. 

The reason is that he’s not a good defender, a weakness that gets exploited in a series when the games slow down. 

Of course, you have to get there for it to matter and Hield would help that cause, as he’s a reliable floor spreader who would potentially help DeRozan, LaVine and Coby White. 

If the Bulls keep DeRozan and can’t unload LaVine, this is the type of move they will be left with, a hypothetical that most Bulls fans do not want to embrace, as it doesn’t involve the substantial change this team needs.