Massive Deal: The Bulls to pick up a free agent in the buyout market to bolster a potential playoff run
The Bulls saw great success on the buyout market just one year ago, putting together a 14-9 record to close out the season after adding Patrick Beverley to their ranks. We could see Chicago try to emulate that success once again, especially now that they’ll need additional assistance with Zach LaVine sidelined for the remainder of the season.
Fortunately, the Bulls possess just enough cap room to make an acquisition and still remain under the luxury tax threshold, something that has clearly been a priority for Chicago’s ownership regime for decades now.
A few solid players have already cleared waivers and signed to new teams, including Kyle Lowry and Thaddeus Young, so the Bulls must move fast if they want to pick up a difference-maker. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the best options remaining on the board for Chicago in free agency.
The Bulls would be wise to pick up a free agent in the buyout market to bolster a potential playoff run.
5. Davis Bertans
Davis Bertans has yet to be bought out, but he seems to be a likely potential candidate to hit the free agent pool after being traded away to the Hornets in the exchange that brought Gordon Hayward to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Bulls desperately lack any size on the roster outside of Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond, so they’d be wise to grab some injury insurance while they still can.
Bertans is admittedly in the midst of a down season, but he still has merit in specific situations. Having a big man who can shoot the clip at a 40% success rate is always a useful tool to have around. If we’re lucky, perhaps Bertans could even help Vucevic re-discover his shot, as the Montenegrin big man is shooting a depressingly awful 27.7% from beyond the arc while still hoisting up over 4 threes per game.
4. Furkan Korkmaz
As they say, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em — or in this case, if you can’t beat them, perhaps you should recruit them instead. Furkan Korkmaz has never been much more than a role player during his seven seasons with the 76ers but has always had a penchant for kicking things up a notch against the Bulls.
Although he’s averaged just 6.8 points per game throughout his career, Korkmaz has averaged 17.7 points in the seven games he’s played 12 or more minutes against the Bulls. This includes a 31-point masterclass against Chicago on February 9, 2020. If Korkmaz insists on playing so well in the United Center, perhaps he should be invited for an extended stay in the Windy City.
3. Killian Hayes
Drafted 7th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, many scouts and media members held high hopes for Killian Hayes’ potential development in the league. Hayes fulfills the prototypical point guard archetype to a tee and should have been able to embrace that role like we’ve seen with Tyrese Haliburton in Indiana.
Unfortunately, Hayes has failed to capitalize on the potential thus far and has since been waived by the Detroit Pistons. It might seem silly to add a player who couldn’t even cut it on the worst team in the NBA, but Hayes wouldn’t be forced to play heavy minutes in Chicago. He could sit back and embrace a lesser role with the Bulls, all while soaking in anything Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan have to offer him at this young stage of his career.
In fact, the Bulls’ have actually done an excellent job developing Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, so perhaps they could strike gold by picking up Hayes when his value is lowest. I’d be happy to give Killian a trial run in Chicago for the remainder of the season, especially if it comes with a team option attached in the event things go better than expected.
2. Joe Harris
Even if the Bulls, don’t sign Hayes, they can still pick up a waived Pistons player — something you may notice will be a bit of a recurring theme here. After a disappointing campaign, Detroit has also cut veteran sharpshooter Joe Harris, allowing the 32-year-old veteran to search for greener pastures.
Truthfully, it’s difficult to blame Detroit for this decision. Harris isn’t a good defender, playmaker, or rebounder. Outside of his shooting, he has no redeeming qualities. And when the shots are only going in at a 33.3% success rate, that roster spot on a tanking team could be much better utilized on someone else.
That being said, I find it difficult to believe that a player who has shot a blistering hot 45.2% from deep over the last five years (leading the league twice over that span), could fall off so tremendously overnight. I believe Harris could thrive in a more established system, and it’s no secret the Bulls could use all the additional shooting they can get.
1. Danilo Gallinari
Now that both Thaddeus Young and Marcus Morris have agreed to terms with new teams following their respective buyouts, that leaves the remaining free agent pool extremely thin among forwards. If the Bulls are to acquire some additional help, I believe it’s obvious that they are most shallow on the wing, and thus the recently waived (by Detroit) veteran Danilo Gallinari would be the best remaining player they could pick up.
This move would make a lot of sense on paper, as the Bulls already registered interest in Gallinari as a free agent in 2022. He ended up signing with the Celtics instead but would be sidelined for the rest of the season after tearing his ACL. Now that he’s healthy again and should be available at a low cost, picking up an experienced veteran like Gallinari would be the ideal way to round out this Bulls roster on the buyout market.
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