5 Moves for a Successful Bulls Offseason

All things considered, the Bulls made steps in the right direction. They made the playoffs, are starting to create a winning culture, and giving the fans hope again. The job is obviously not done yet though and there are decisions the front office needs to make for a successful Bulls offseason.

Give Zach the Max

For whatever reason, there has been speculation surrounding Zach LaVine and whether he deserves a max contract. But let’s present the facts. Zach LaVine is a back-to-back All-Star, recently turned 27, and is entering his prime. Maybe he is not the lead guy on a championship team, but compare him to other max players. De’Aaron Fox, Tobias Harris, Khris Middleton, and Jamal Murray. Zach is most certainly in the same class as these players, if not higher. Remember that Zach has been on a bargain. He got paid pretty well after his ACL injury and outplayed that four-year $78 million contract right away. Nothing about his persona suggests he will turn it off once he gets paid. Also, if the Bulls lose Zach, what is the plan? The Bulls need to pay Zach the bag and give their best sales pitch to convince him to stay.

Explore Trades for Vucevic

Nikola Vucevic is a hard one. Having a center that can stretch the floor next to DeMar and LaVine makes sense. Despite this, it’s just not a good fit. When a team’s three best players are offensive-minded, and all do their best in the paint, that will only get you so far. The Bulls have been linked to names, but Nikola is entering the final year of his deal. If the Bulls can ship him off for multiple players that fit or a more defensive-minded center, that would most certainly help Chicago.

Follow the Celtics Blueprint

When you have a pair of wings that are dominant, your ceiling is high. Now yes, Tatum is showing he is one of the stars of the future, but there are things the Bulls can learn from them. For starters, their playstyle. They average the fourth most assists in the playoffs even though they play at a slower tempo and have two great isolation wings. The Bulls can take a page out of their book as they need to find competent role players that are going to give spacing, defense, and IQ around the LaVine-DeMar core. The isolation style of play will not work.

Find Bargain Shooters

Anyone who saw a playoff game, you saw the Bucks’ defensive game plan. Pack the paint and force jumpers, and it worked tremendously. The Bulls entered this season with only three floor spacers by my estimation in Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine, and Coby White. The personnel needs to change next season. Even when all are healthy, teams can read the scouting report, and it makes it easy to know who is a priority to rotate and closeout to. Some free agents the Bulls can add include Gary Harris, Nicolas Batum (when playing small-ball five), Bryn Forbes, Wesley Matthews, Otto Porter Jr., and Caleb Martin. These are all players that should be on the low with good IQ. Now the Bulls could also look to go young with more unproven commodities, but these players have all shown enough that they would be nice complementary players, space the floor., and play smart. 

Put More Emphasis on Patrick Williams Becoming a Focal Point

Patrick Williams has had an awkward pro career so far. His rookie year was cut short due to Covid. In his sophomore year, he suffered torn ligaments in his wrist that forced him to miss 65 games. Williams is trying to figure out his game while the Bulls are trying to win. They don’t have the time to be patient. They need Patrick to take a leap and he did start showing signs late in the year as he averaged 21.5 PPG in the last two games. The Bulls need Patrick to start becoming a true third or fourth option in this offense next year. DeMar has already started doing his part; “I plan on having a lot of guys come to LA for sure. Work with me, [do] a lot of the hell things I put myself through in the offseason, especially Pat.” The Bulls can not afford Williams to keep taking a back seat and settling as just a role player. They need him to take that next step and become the player they thought they were drafting at the fourth pick.

Thank You for Reading

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