The Chicago Bulls, more likely than not, will be missing Lonzo Ball for the entirety of the 2023-24 season. The young floor general has suffered setback after setback after suffering an injury to his knee on January 2022, and he hasn't been able to return to action since. However, there is a silver lining to Ball's extended absence; the league has granted the Bulls' application for the Disabled Player Exception (DPE) worth $10.2 million.
Alas, there are no guarantees that the Bulls even use the entire exception. The team's ownership group rarely (if ever) dip into the luxury tax, and they couldn't even do that even if they tried after signing Jevon Carter using the non-taxpayer midlevel exception. They're hard-capped at around $172 million, and given how close they are to approaching that threshold, the list of targets they could pursue with that exception, should they even use it, may not be as extensive as fans would hope.
Moreover, the salary cap rules dictate that the Bulls can only acquire someone with one-year left on their deal (including option years) or sign a free agent to a one-year deal, limiting their targets even further.
Regardless of those restrictions, the Bulls should still be able to make use of the DPE to bolster the roster even further, preventing them from landing in the league's dreaded middle ground. Taking into account all their roster needs, here are the players the Bulls must pursue with the DPE.
Bulls trade targets without outgoing salary:
Thaddeus Young
Thaddeus Young may not be the player he was back when he donned a Chicago Bulls uniform during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. But just how bad could it be to bring back a familiar face to the Windy City?
Young has always been a fill in the gaps, do-it-all power forward, a versatile player with an underrated playmaking touch. But during his last season with the Bulls, his versatility reached new heights that fans haven't seen ever since the team dealt him away in the sign-and-trade that brought back DeMar DeRozan.
The now 35-year old veteran power forward averaged 12.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in his last go-round with the Bulls, even earning the nickname “Thagic Johnson” for his highlight-reel passing ability. Fans knew that bringing in DeRozan was a worthwhile thing to do, but that didn't mean that losing Young was something to celebrate.
Young is now two seasons removed from that, however, and is starting to slow down given his age. But perhaps the Bulls, should they strike a deal with the Toronto Raptors for his services, could bring out the best in him, given how comfortable he was in Billy Donovan's system back then.
Danilo Gallinari
Danilo Gallinari is coming off a major knee injury, and at 34 years old, it's fair to wonder just how much there is left in his tank. Gallinari wasn't even the quickest player to begin with, so a knee injury could sap his athleticism even further to the point of unplayability.
But for the low price of $6.8 million and, perhaps, draft rights to overseas players who'll never ply their trade stateside, the Bulls could add additional firepower and size in the frontcourt, preventing DeMar DeRozan from having to log minutes at the four.
Bulls trade targets with outgoing salary:
Royce O'Neale
Royce O'Neale would be a godsend for any team with aspirations of making the playoffs — which the Bulls are given their offseason moves. Chicago added two 3-and-D threats in Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig from free agency, and they still have Alex Caruso and Patrick Williams on the roster. So why not add one more to give the team even more versatility and playoff-viability?
O'Neale is under contract for just one more season at $9.5 million per year, and given how well he performed for the Brooklyn Nets early in the 2022-23 season, he makes sense as another player for the Bulls to pursue. The 30-year old combo forward displayed underrated playmaking ability, and he also shot 38.9 percent from deep on healthy volume. And given the Nets' glut of wings and combo forwards, O'Neale may be an expendable piece for them in the end.
Grayson Allen
The Milwaukee Bucks have not made Grayson Allen's availability in prospective trades a secret. Over the past year or so, Allen's name has come up every time the Bucks are linked to a potential trade target.
Thus, there may be a chance for the Bulls to snag Allen for cheap, even though he may not be on the best of terms with two members of the team. Fans will never forget how Allen caused Alex Caruso's injury two seasons ago and how Allen put DeMar DeRozan in danger with his reckless antics.
But it may be good for the Bulls to acquire Allen anyway, beyond his fit on the team as a shooter who can flourish even when on the move. With Allen on the team, he won't be around anymore to hurt the Bulls' players four times in one season.
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