Following yet another disappointing campaign in 2019-20, the Chicago Bulls are shaking things in their front office by finally ending the dreaded Gar-Pax era in the Windy City.
Former general manager Gar Forman has been given his walking papers and replaced by Marc Eversley. John Paxson, meanwhile, has been demoted to a senior advisor role within the organization. Lithuanian executive Artūras Karnišovas has been tasked to take his place as vice president of basketball operations.
Sought after head coach Billy Donovan has also taken over reins in the sidelines.
While there’s a new set of guys in charge, the Bulls’ roster didn’t exactly get a major facelift as initially expected.
Chicago was deemed to be major players this offseason, especially after that breakout year by their budding star Zach LaVine.
However, they have yet to add more game-changing talent to turn their luck around. Let’s have a look at the Chicago Bulls player movement (or lack thereof) this offseason.
Notable retained players: Otto Porter Jr. and Denzel Valentine
As expected, Otto Porter Jr. picked up the remaining $28.4 million of his 4-year deal, ensuring he will don the Bulls’ colors for at least one more season.
The 6-foot-8 swingman has been a forgotten man at this point after back-to-back injury-riddled seasons in his first two years in Chicago.
The 27-year-old versatile forward notched 17.5 points on 48.8 percent shooting from downtown in his first year with the team, and there’s no reason he can’t return to that form if healthy. Plus, Porter will have more motivation to ball out next season given he’ll be playing in his contract year.
Denzel Valentine’s contract, on the other hand, has also been exercised by the Bulls despite experiencing a huge dip in production last season. He’s pretty much been a role player in his first three seasons and that won’t change anytime soon. Valentine’s playing time has been cut short in 2019-20, and he must become a better overall player to get those minutes back.
Notable additions from the 2020 draft: Patrick Williams (4th overall) and Marko Simonovic (44th)
A lot of jaws dropped when the Bulls used their fourth overall selection on the unheralded Patrick Williams. The 19-year-old forward, after all, wasn’t even a starter for the Florida State Gators in college.
The team’s new coach, Billy Donovan, was in charge in Florida from 1996 to 2015, so maybe the Bulls’ curious choice was more of a courtesy to his old team. Williams was named the 2020 ACC Sixth Man of The Year but no doubt there were a lot of much more polished players available at that point.
The Bulls had another pick late in the second round, which they used on sweet-shooting big Marko Simonovic. The 6-foot-11 Serbian drained 40 percent of this threes in the EuroLeague, but is not considered to be a strong defender. He’s also one of the oldest rookies in the pool at 34 years old.
Simonovic is expected to stay in Europe for one more year before joining the Bulls.
Notable additions from free agency: Garett Temple, Noah Vonleh, Zach Norvell, Devon Dotson (undrafted rookie)
The Bulls missed out on the big names in this year’s free agency and settled for several unwanted players. Garett Temple was the biggest name they could sign, giving him a one-year, $5 million deal.
The 34-year-old vet is a nice piece to have, especially after notching career-best 10.3 points on 38 percent shooting from the field and 33 percent from downtown last year. However, he won’t be much of a game-changer for a Bulls team in need of more proven talent.
The Bulls re-united with Vonleh, whom played 21 games for them in 2018. Despite initially projected to have a high ceiling, the 6-foot-10 slotman has underwhelmed so far in his career. Maybe he can turn things around if given more meaningful minutes in Chicago’s frontline.
In need of more shooters, the Bulls also took a chance on Zach Norvell Jr., who split time between the Golden State Warriors and the G-League last year. Norvell does trace his roots in Chicago, as he played high school in Simeon.
Lastly, they took on undrafted guard Devon Dotson and gave him a two-way contract. The Kansas standout is a nice project for Chicago, considering their lack of depth at the point guard spot.
Notable subtractions: Kris Dunn
The Bulls could have brought back Kris Dunn since he was a restricted free agent this offseason. Despite their lack of suitable playmakers, the Bulls decided to let him walk without a fight as he signed with the Atlanta Hawks on a two-year deal.
Dunn was supposed to be the next big thing for the Bulls following a superb first season with the team in 2017-18 where he notched 13.4 points, 4,3 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 2.0 steals. Injuries threw a wrench on those plans, as the 26-year-old’s numbers regressed in the next two years. Looks like the Bulls are putting all their chips behind Coby White next year by allowing Dunn to walk away.
Overall Grade: C
The Bulls deserve an A for their front office and coaching hires but struck out big time players wise. The Windy City hasn’t been as enticing to play for as it was in previous years, so luring a big-time free agent is indeed a challenge. However, Chicago does have some nice assets to offer and should have been more aggressive with potential trade deals.
LaVine is only in contract until 2022 and they must find suitable pieces to provide him more help. While the jury is still out if they made the right call drafting Patrick Williams so high, that choice could end up biting them in the rear in the future.
Guys like Obi Toppin and Deni Avdija, as well as playmaker Tyrese Halliburton (who could have filled their PG woes) were all still on the board at that time.
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