Now that the NBA offseason is on the horizon, it’s time to start talking about the Chicago Bulls again! The 2020 Chicago Bulls season had a lot of ups and downs, but was an overall improvement from the GarPax era. Now, us Bulls fans are anxious to see what the near future holds for this team, and what VP Arturas Karnisovas can do with a full offseason as an executive. Let’s take a look at all the rumored players linked to Chicago through free agency or trade, and analyze how they would fit in Chicago with Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic.
Lonzo Ball
The most popular name linked to the Bulls has been Lonzo Ball. Chicago Twitter has been raving about him ever since there were rumors New Orleans was considering trading him, and Bulls fans believe he can be the savior at point guard that we need. I think he would be a great option at the right price. Even though he hasn’t been the superstar people expected, he’s young and has a lot of upside, would be a great offensive facilitator, and would improve the defensive presence for a bottom 10 ranked Bulls defensive backcourt. Coby White is also more of a natural sixth man, so moving him to the bench slot would allow him to thrive more and would be the most natural thing for the Bulls rotations.
Ben Simmons
After the 76ers had yet another disappointing playoff showing, trade rumors have swarmed around Ben Simmons specifically with his “less than stellar” playoff performance, to put it mildly. The Bulls have been a team frequently mentioned by some Chicago fans, saying he could help create offense and space the floor well. Personally, I think the Bulls should avoid him at all costs though. He has a terrible max contract of 5 yrs/177.2M, and his numbers have not come close to meeting the hefty expectations of that contract. He has gotten worse every year since his rookie season, and the Bulls need someone on the upswing, not on the decline. He also would put us in a place where it would be impossible to progress. He would likely move us to a 7th or 8th seed, but we would never win a playoff series. If the 76ers are struggling in the second round with Simmons, the Bulls are not going to magically figure it out with him. Keep in mind our roster is worse than the Sixers on paper. We would be doomed to NBA purgatory with this addition. To Arturas, if you read this, do not make the move for him!
Spencer Dinwiddie
Dinwiddie is another point guard who has been linked to Chicago. While he missed most of last season due to injuries, he had a career season in 2019-20 averaging 20/3/6. He will likely be looking for a bigger role in free agency with Harden and Kyrie handling the backcourt for the foreseeable future, so I think Dinwiddie would be a great fit for the starting point guard role in Chicago. He is a great facilitator and draws a lot of free throws and drives per game, as he averaged 7.7 free throw attempts a game and 17.1 drives per game in 2019-20. The Bulls ranked dead last in free throws and 26th in drives last season, so Dinwiddie would be a great addition if he returns to form from his injury. I am fully on team Dinwiddie and I think the Bulls should definitely give him a chance. He is still in his prime and can make a full recovery.
Pascal Siakam
While not as prevalent, there have been a few rumors surrounding Pascal Siakam and the Raptors after a disappointing season. A few Chicago media sources have thrown out the idea of Pascal to Chicago as a third option behind LaVine and Vooch. However, similar to Simmons, the addition of Pascal would put Chicago in a weird spot where it would be hard to improve long term. We would likely be a first round exit each year, and in a spot where we could not really upgrade our team in the offseason. We would have limited cap space and not have a chance at a lottery pick. I wouldn’t pull the trigger if I’m Arturas.
Mike Conley/Kyle Lowry
Conley and Lowry are two veteran options at point guard if the Bulls want to choose to go this route. If they value experience and leadership, Conley and Lowry would be great options as they both have been in the league for a long time and have extraordinary work ethic. However, with their age, the Bulls would not benefit greatly from adding a starting point guard in their 30s. The Bulls need to get younger, and while Conley/Lowry may be good mentors to Coby White, the price tag for them would be too expensive and would end up hurting the Bulls in the long run.
Spencer Dinwiddie and Lonzo Ball are my two favorite options for Chicago this offseason. Who do you want the Bulls to go after? Let me know in the comments.
Dinwiddie would be an awesome addition assuming he would be back to his normal self coming off his season ending injury. Would definitely be up for lonzo as well