Top 2024 Free Agents for the Chicago Bulls

Top 2024 Free Agents for the Chicago Bulls

we are just a little more than two weeks away from the start of free agency which opens up on the evening of June 30th where teams can begin communicating and negotiating with free agents which I always put begin in air quotes because we know those conversations are always happening all the time well before the start of free agency but because we have that coming up and I feel like up until recently we’ve mainly just been talking about the NBA draft and the draft prospects what the Bulls should do at 11 trade up trade down I thought it would be a good time to start talking about potential free agents the Bulls should pursue this offseason because at the end of the day those are going to be the higher impact players in the immediate term than a project player they select with the 11 pick so in this video we’re going to be going over five free agents I would like to see the Bulls go after and I would love to hear your guys’ thoughts on some of these free agents that you would like to see the Bulls pick up as well so what’s going on everyone you’re listening to Bull Central here hope you’re all doing well of course the NBA season is winding down we’re almost at the end of the NBA finals and that means it’s your last chance to get in on the offer from Underdog fantasy our sponsor where you can get up to $250 upon your first deposit as well as a free pick in the lobby when you sign up to improve your chances of hitting on your NBA pick thems they’re going to have pick thems for every remaining Finals game where you can pick higher or lower on most player stats and win up to 100 times your money for every game so check it out link to the site and the code is in the description if you’re interested now a few things to call out before going through this list of free agents and most importantly is understanding the Bulls current salary cap situation which can obviously change drastically between now and then depending on if the Bulls trade Zack LaVine whether or not they resign Demar to a big contract what figure they resign Patrick Williams for or potentially letting him walk if some team gives him a big offer and the Bulls are unwilling to match it but the main thing you need to know is that the Bulls are going to be an over the cap team going into free agency meaning they will not be able to sign any free agents on the market without using the League’s exceptions to go over the cap which are the mid-level exception that is projected to be around 12.9 million that can be used on multiple players or just one player the biannual exception which can be used every other year islated to be at $4.6 million and the vet minimum which I believe is around 2.5 million so because the Bulls are already over the cap they will have to use these exceptions in order to sign any free agents this summer and for those asking well what if they end up going under the cap if they trade Zach they let tomorrow walk they let Pat walk they trade Alex cruso and a number of other transactions but all of that very unlikely I would say the only thing that might happen is the Bulls trade Zach and even if they trade him to a team with cap space that could absorb his contract without the Bulls having to take on any salary in return they would still be an over the cap team even if they only sign one of Demar d r roen or Patrick Williams so I call that out because I’m sure there will be some saying well why aren’t guys like Paul George or o anobi or Pascal SE yakum on your list yeah the Bulls don’t have the money to sign those guys also just not realistic given the current state of the Bulls now sure maybe they could work out a sign and trade of some kind to bring in a player that is going to command more than the midlevel but for the purposes of this video we’re only going to be looking at free agent the Bulls can sign by way of these exceptions not looking at signing trades and the first guy I have on this list and it should come as no surprise because I’ve been preaching this for a while now but that’s Nick Claxton I think the only thing that makes me think Claxton might not be an option for the Bulls is that he’s going to command more than the midlevel but it’s possible the market could dry up for him where he would have to take on that kind of contract unless the Nets offer him more to stay but yeah I mean when we look at all the things the Bulls need Rim protection size athleticism youth offensive rebounding interior lob threat on offense Claxton foots the bill on all of these only 25 just entering his prime the only thing that makes this complicated is all right well then what do they do with Nicola vuich they’re not going to be able to trade him there isn’t a market for him except maybe the Warriors Clon can play the four he did a fair amount of that in his rookie season but he’s predominantly a center and I have a hard time seeing him start over vuich and so is he going to want a role where he’s coming off the bench in the short term because eventually he would start once vich is no longer in the lineup in the near future but to Star out his tenure taking on Drummond’s minutes might not be of interest to him when he started every game for the Nets for the last two seasons also I was going to add Isaiah hartenstein on this list but it sounds like he’s going to be valued closer to $20 million on the open market which is way out of the Bulls price range the next player I have on this list is Buddy hee and look I realized when going through this list of free agents from the 2024 class at least for the players who wouldn’t be requiring more than the mid-level and it’s a pretty slim pickings here so don’t judge me for some of these I’m more so trying to to work with what’s been given to me given the Bull’s current salary cap situation but anyway for Buddy heel the reason I have him here is because I know the first question is going to be well why bring in another guard well assuming the Bulls trade Zach that frees up one of those spots and while I don’t think Buddy should start he could be a great scorer Off the Bench he’s still one of the best three-point Shooters in the game plays well on and off the ball Bulls need Shooters especially if Zach isn’t going to be with the team anymore they need solid knockdown Shooters and one of heal’s biggest strengths which we always talk about as being the best ability in the NBA is his availability rarely he gets injured last season he played all 84 Games available to him yes 84 between the Pacers and the Sixers when he got traded mid-season for a Bulls team that’s kind of been riddled with injuries in recent years I’ll take a lock down shooter that can be relied upon on a nightly basis and then the other piece I’ll add about heal is you know you can likely get him on a short-term cheap deal it’s going to have to be a little bit more than the vet minimum because he’ll probably get lots of offers at the vet Min and would choose a contender over the Bulls but if the Bulls can offer him a little more than that even a 2-year deal say it close to $4 or $5 million that might just win him over to come to Chicago the next guy I have on this list is cavius CWI Pope again I know these are older players but we’re going in with the Assumption the Bulls are still trying to compete now and kcp does have a player option at $15.4 million which he could exercise but most reports are indicating he’s more likely to decline that option and seek a longer term deal I don’t know if the full midlevel exception would get him if you’re the Bulls because he’ll likely be able to get stronger offers from another team including his current team the Nuggets I mean for me kcp a great defender actually a solid two-way player because he can knock down threes at a 40% clip can help space the floor a smart player he’s got a good feel for the game and Championship level experience both with the Lakers and the nuggets and you can’t underestimate that type of experience when it comes playoff time the next guy I have on this list is Royce O’Neal again not a guy that’s going to move the needle for you but he’s a big bodied Wing can play the three or four defends multiple positions can shoot threes at an efficient clip last season he shot 37% over five attempts per game which is better than most of the players on the Bulls roster another three and D Wing you’re probably noticing a common Trend here he takes care of the ball as well rarely turns it over has good instincts on the court and another player you can likely get for near the vet minimum a player the Bulls can afford on a short-term contract and then finally and this is probably one of those players you’re taking on more as a flyer as a lowrisk high reward scenario and that’s Jaylen Smith Jaylen Smith who came into the league as the number 10 overall pick for the Suns in 2020 they quickly realized eh this isn’t going to work out so they moved him and he just hasn’t really found his footing in the NBA although he’s shown more promise with the Pacers as a backup five behind Miles Turner he does have a player option so again another one of these instances where they might not be a free agent come June 30th but if he declines I do think this would be an interesting opportunity for the Bulls to take a chance on a younger player only 23 a former top 10 pick in the 2020 draft a top 20 recruit coming out of high school he has talent but just hasn’t been in the right environment to get the most out of his abilities and for the Bulls this is also about adding size you’re going to need a backup center one that is younger more athletic and one that you can probably get for pretty cheap since you can’t afford much being an over the cap team there are other free agents that I would be intrigued by at the bit minimum or maybe slightly more than that I’m looking at guys like Evan fornier maybe even James wisman for size and youth uh Goa baz who I imagine will leave the magic with all the bigs they have on their roster and him not being in the rotation most recently but as a solid backup center who can crash the boards post up and score uh Malik Beasley is another potential although I feel like he’s going to command more than the vet minimum and will want to play on a contender and not the Bulls but you’re talking about one of the better three-point Shooters in the league but yeah I mean overall there aren’t that many great options as it relates to potential free agents the Bulls could pursue at the mid-level or the veteran minimum partially because a lot of free agents are going to be looking to go elsewhere where they can compete for a championship and then of course for the best free agents of this class the Bulls aren’t even in the realm to acquire them given their cap sheet but I would love to hear what you guys think who are some of the free agents you would like to see the Bulls sign this summer let me know in the comments as always be sure to subscribe and I’ll see you in the next one

Discussing the top 5 free agents the Bulls should pursue this offseason

NBA Channel: https://youtube.com/channel/UCikoP0pxZTRqNp9XgMJlIqQ

Sign up for Underdog Fantasy with Promo Code [Bulls Central] to get a Special Pick in the lobby AND up to $250 in Bonus Cash on your first deposit: https://play.underdogfantasy.com/p-bu…

Discord: https://discord.gg/NCnTQFZkkj
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bulls.central.official/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BullsCentralYT

#ChicagoBulls #BullsNation #DeMarDeRozan #CobyWhite #AndreDrummond #AlexCaruso #NikolaVucevic #ZachLavine #PatrickWilliams #LonzoBall #AyoDosunmu #BullsNews #NBANews #NBARumors #BullsUpdates #BullsRumors #NBAFreeAgency #BullsTrades #NBATrades #NBATradeRumors #NBADraft #NBADraft2024 #NicClaxton #BuddyHield