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The Chicago Bulls proved that they have the talent to be a playoff team last season. As NBA free agency rolls around, they are hoping to tweak the roster so that they prove more than that. This offseason will be extremely important as they look to capitalize on the winning foundation they have.
Priority number one has always been to re-sign Zach LaVine and it looks like Chicago will have no problem doing so. Without him, their playoff hopes vanish. Fortunately, the expectation is that the two sides will agree to a long-term max contract, keeping LaVine in the red and black.
With the LaVine situation taken care of, the Bulls need to pivot to finding the right group of players to surround him and DeMar DeRozan. Chicago would be smart to sign a big man to back up or replace Nikola Vucevic and add more dependable options on the wing. In addition to several great options, there are also some that the Bulls must avoid.
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3 players Bulls must avoid in 2022 NBA free agency
3. Victor Oladipo
Although having a bit of a reputation resurrection during the playoffs with the Miami Heat helps his case, the Bulls should let someone else gamble on Victor Oladipo. In addition to health always being a concern with the 30-year-old, there are simply better options than him.
If Oladipo can't create shots with the ball in his hands and doesn't continue being an efficient shooter, he will not have a major role moving forward. The Bulls would be better off finding players who are reliable from deep and can still defend well, as they have enough decision-makers. Making his fit with the team worse is that there isn't a clear spot for him in the rotation that will give him the minutes he desires.
The Bulls will enter next season with LaVine (assuming all continues to go well on that front), Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso and Ayo Dosumnu as their guards. They'll also have Coby White, although he continues to live on the trade block. On the wing, they have DeRozan, Patrick Williams and newly drafted Dalen Terry. They even got some decent minutes from Javonte Green.
Oladipo doesn't have the upside of becoming a fringe star anymore. The Bulls have to focus on more surefire contributors, especially those who can play either forward spot.
2. Bruce Brown
With so much uncertainty surrounding the Brooklyn Nets, Bruce Brown could look to leave and join a different playoff team. The Bulls should let another team land the 25-year-old.
Brown thrives as a big man in a guard's body. His job with the Nets was to set screens, roll, take the occasional triple and play tough defense. Although the Bulls have enough high-level ball-handlers to use with Brown, they don't have a surefire rotation spot to offer him. His shooting, though efficient last season, is not very strong given his lack of volume.
Like Oladipo, Brown would be added to a somewhat cluttered room of guards with even less positional versatility than the Heat shooting guard. Although his defense would be useful, he would force someone to play out of position. Chicago would be better off finding a true forward rather than signing Brown and trying to make one out of someone on the roster.
1. Montrezl Harrell
The Bulls would benefit from signing a big man but Montrezl Harrell is not one they should look into.
Harrell, admittedly, is an electrifying scorer and monster on the offensive glass. He could be fun to add but not very effective. With the way the roster is set up, the Bulls cannot accommodate Harrell because of the glaring flaw in his game.
The massive flaw with Harrell, an undersized center, is his defense. He doesn't provide strong rim protection nor a high level of switchability that other small centers show. If such a player is the backup for a slow-footed, offensive-minded center like Vucevic, you're intentionally playing defense on hard mode. The Bulls should avoid doing this.
If the Bulls add Harrell, they will fix none of their issues and only have a little more upside to show for it. Relying on two centers who don't project to be good defenders is a recipe for disaster, especially in the playoffs.
After the injuries to Ball, Williams and Caruso showed how much they are needed for Chicago's defense, the Bulls have to land someone like Mo Bamba or trade for someone like Rudy Gobert. Harrell should not be anywhere near their list of potential free-agency targets.
