The opening of the free agency window for the NBA was as frantic as year’s past. Player movement remains at an all-time high as contenders try to remain contenders, and lottery teams look to crawl out of the basement. Then there’s the Bulls.
Bulls Get Their Guys in Valentine, Temple
Without a marquee free agent on the market this offseason a lot of teams looked to upgrade at the margins. Contenders, like the Milwaukee Bucks, upgraded their starting and backup point guard situation with the additions of Jrue Holiday and DJ Augustin. The LA Lakers improved their bench scoring by acquiring Dennis Schröder, Montrezl Harrell, and Marc Gasol.
Lottery teams, like the Charlotte Hornets, made a big swing for Gordon Hayward in an attempt to regain some star power. The Atlanta Hawks signed anyone they could get their hands on. Detroit signed every Center on the market. Even the Knicks are convincing the NBA world they have a long-term plan.
Gordon Hayward: $30,000,000
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) November 21, 2020
Nicolas Batum: $27,130,434
Terry Rozier: $18,900,000
Cody Zeller: $15,415,730
just had to type it out to see it with my own two eyes.
Let’s take a look at how the Chicago Bulls free agency period has gone so far:
- Extend qualifying offer to Denzel Valentine (1 year, $4.7 million)
- Do not extend qualifying offer to Kris Dunn
- Sign 34-year-old Garrett Temple (1 year, $5 million)
The Bulls’ severe lack of activity can elicit a few different reactions. Either A) Be patient, the front office has a plan; B) They should have added serviceable veterans to maximize the young roster; or C) They wanted to sign players, players didn’t want to play for them. I lean towards C. But I’ll make the case for every option being a rational reaction.
Be Patient
Whenever an organization cleans house and employs a whole new front office and coaching staff, it’s a natural reaction to want to believe in every decision they make. It’s a classic honeymoon phase. I’ve been through it a few times this decade with the Cubs and Theo Epstein, along with the Bears and Ryan Pace (at least one of those worked out). Just knowing there’s a different group of people building your team than the dumb-dumb’s who were there before is comforting enough.
Maybe new general manager Artūras Karnišovas didn’t like what this free-agent class had to offer. There was solid talent out there, no doubt about that. But there were also a number of alarming contract numbers being reported. It reminded me a lot of the 2016 offseason when the salary cap spiked. How many teams will have regrettable contracts on the books two years from now? Maybe Karnišovas wants to see what he has in his own players first before overpaying for someone that doesn’t move the needle and destroys future cap flexibility.
Should Have Signed Vets
This particular reaction is one of accountability. Just because this is a new front office doesn’t give them a pass to be as inactive on the market as the previous regime. You know, the one that was run out of town with pitchforks and torches. The Bulls free agency plan, at face value, was to sign/re-sign veterans. They just went about it lazily. There are young players on this roster that need to start developing quickly or they’re out the door. The best way to maximize these players, especially offensively, would have been to add a veteran point guard that can actually run an NBA offense. This could have been their reasoning for keeping Valentine. Although he missed the entire 2019 season due to season-ending ankle surgery and saw significantly reduced playing time under Jim Boylen in 2020, he has the highest basketball IQ on the team and is probably their best option to run an offense. Karnišovas absolutely should have tried to find a professional, veteran point guard in free agency.
Instead, the only outside help the Bulls were able to drag in was Garrett Temple. This man is the definition of a veteran. Entering his 12th season in the league he is set to join his tenth different team. I will not drag Garrett Temple. He is revered around the league and considered one of the best examples for young players you can find. I just can’t help but get deja-vu from the last offseason when Thaddeus Young was brought on for the exact same reason. The Chicago Bulls need more than guys who can show the youngsters the ropes. That sentiment needs to be paired with on-court production. Thad Young didn’t do so hot in that department and I’m hesitant to believe Temple will either.
But Which Vets?
After looking at the full list of moves made up to this point, I found two viable point guard options. Jeff Teague signed a one-year deal with the Boston Celtics (money undetermined at the moment) and, while not being my favorite vet on the market, he would be able to accomplish what I mentioned previously. Just create offense for these kids. However, his signing with Boston is telling in that he probably doesn’t want to play with some dumb kids. He wants to compete.
The second possibility at point guard, and one I really wish the Bulls made a push for, is D.J. Augustin. I absolutely love the idea of Augustin with this team. He could find minutes at point guard for any team in the entire league. You know why? Because he can run a damn offense and make threes. He would bring to this Bulls team exactly what Ricky Rubio did to last year’s Phoenix Suns. An adult in the room who can point guys in the right direction and facilitate for the team’s best player (Zach Lavine is Devin Booker in our scenario). He could also teach Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter what a two-man game looks like. Although, D.J. Augustin’s choice in free agency poses the same issue as Teague’s. He signed with a title contender. He doesn’t have time for these damn kids.
Dudes Don’t Want to Play for the Bulls
I don’t know if you’ve heard, but this isn’t the ’90s. Derrick Rose was the MVP almost TEN YEARS AGO. The Bulls are sorry as hell. Their owner cares more about his baseball team than his basketball team. They have a history of mistrust between players and management. The training staff has been known to misdiagnose and mistreat injuries. And, simply put, the roster is BAD.
Regarding the mistrust and the poor training staff, both have new personnel heading into this season. But not every player knows when a team gets a new training staff. Whatever they’ve already heard is what’s manipulating their decision-making. The Chicago Bulls are not held in high regard by the rest of the league these days. I’ve been waiting my whole life for the city of Chicago to be a free-agent destination.
As much as it might make sense for a potential free-agent to fit with this team, there is almost always a more attractive situation. This, to me, can be evidenced by one particular signing from this week. Jerami Grant choosing the Detroit Pistons. Grant signed a 3-year, $60 million contract with Detroit, and reportedly turned down the same offer from the Nuggets for a larger role in Detroit. The Pistons?! Were the Bulls even in his top five choices?? What role do the Pistons have to offer? I don’t even want to think about the price. The fact of the matter is the Detroit Pistons, an equally sad and directionless franchise, was more attractive to Jerami Grant than the Chicago Bulls.
What’s on Tap?
Did you watch any Bulls games in 2020? Likely more of that. With the Bulls’ free agency dud, same roster, and a real coach, I expect them to keep that 28-win pace from a season ago. Hopefully some injury luck, thanks to the new training staff, and a coach that isn’t a punchline, they can actually hit that 28-31 win range in the shortened 72-game season. The Chicago Bulls are one of the least interesting teams in the entire league. That could all change if we start to witness some tangible development from these young players. But until then, they remain at the bottom of the barrel.
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