Pistons Exercise 2022/23 Options On Hayes, Stewart, Bey
The Pistons have picked up their third-year team options on guard Killian Hayes, center Isaiah Stewart, and forward Saddiq Bey for the 2022/23 season, the team announced today (via Twitter).
Rookie scale option decisions for 2022/23 are due by the end of October, but the Pistons didn’t wait until the deadline to officially exercise the options for three players they selected in the first round of the 2020 draft. All three players’ salaries for ’22/23 are now guaranteed: Hayes at $5.84MM, Stewart at $3.43MM, and Bey at just $2.96MM.
Hayes was limited to just 26 games in his rookie season due to a hip injury and provided inconsistent production when he played, but he remains a major part of the Pistons’ future, having been the first player drafted by general manager Troy Weaver during his tenure in Detroit.
Stewart and Bey, meanwhile, made strong first impressions as rookies in 2020/21. Stewart averaged 7.9 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 1.3 BPG in 68 games (21.4 MPG), earning a spot on the All-Rookie Second Team. Bey made the All-Rookie First Team with averages of 12.2 PPG and 4.5 RPG, plus a .380 3PT%, in 70 games (27.3 MPG).
You can track all of the rookie scale team option decisions for 2022/23 right here.
NBA GMs Like Heat’s Offseason Moves, Nets’ Title Chances
Nearly half of the NBA’s general managers voted for the Heat as the team that had the best 2021 offseason, John Schuhmann of NBA.com writes in his annual survey of the league’s GMs. Miami got 14 of 30 possible votes, while the Lakers picked up five votes. The Nets, Rockets, and Wizards were the other teams picked by multiple GMs as having the best offseason.
The Heat’s acquisition of Kyle Lowry via sign-and-trade helped tip the scales in their favor. Asked which offseason player acquisition will make the biggest impact for his new team this season, GMs overwhelmingly chose Lowry — he received 23 of 30 votes. New Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook was the only other player to get multiple votes (five).
Although the Heat and Lakers received high marks from rival GMs for their work over the summer, neither club is considered the title favorite entering the 2021/22 season. That honor belongs to the Nets, who earned 22 votes from GMs for the team that will win the 2022 Finals. The Lakers (five) and Bucks (three) were the only other teams to receive any votes.
Here are a few more of the most interesting responses from Schuhmann’s GM survey, which is worth checking out in full:
- The Trail Blazers‘ trade for Larry Nance Jr. received the most votes (28%) for the most underrated acquisition of the offseason, with the Nets‘ signing of Patty Mills (17%) and the Wizards‘ addition of Spencer Dinwiddie (14%) also receiving support in that category.
- The NBA’s GMs view Rockets guard Jalen Green (47%) and Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (40%) as the best bets to win Rookie of the Year, but voted Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley as the rookie who will be the best player in five years. Mobley (33%) narrowly edged out Cunningham (30%) and Green (23%) in that category.
- The GMs voted the Magic‘s selection of Jalen Suggs at No. 5 (23%) and the Rockets‘ pick of Alperen Sengun at No. 16 (20%) as the biggest steals of the 2021 draft.
- The Bulls (27%) are considered the best bet to be the most improved team in 2021/22, while Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (17%) received the most support as the top breakout candidate.
- Following their run to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Hawks (50%) were overwhelmingly voted as the team with the best young core. The Rockets received three votes, while no other team got more than two.
- Only two players received multiple votes when GMs were asked which player they’d want to start a franchise with: Mavericks star Luka Doncic (43%) barely beat out Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo (40%).
Pau Gasol Announces Retirement
As expected, veteran big man Pau Gasol announced his retirement as a basketball player today at a press conference in Barcelona.
The third overall pick in the 2001 draft, Gasol began his NBA career with Memphis after playing for Barcelona in Spain from 1998-2001. He won the Rookie of the Year award in his first season and ultimately spent 18 years in the NBA with the Grizzlies, Lakers, Bulls, Spurs, and Bucks, averaging an impressive 17.0 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, and 1.6 BPG in 1,226 regular season games.
Gasol appeared in another 136 playoff contests, posting 15.4 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, and 1.7 BPG in those games for the Lakers, Spurs, Grizzlies, and Bulls. The 41-year-old is a six-time All-Star who won a pair of championships with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010, as well as three Olympics medals (two silvers and a bronze) for Spain. He also made the All-NBA team four times.
Gasol last appeared in an NBA game in March 2019, when he briefly played for Milwaukee. Since then, he has undergone multiple surgeries to repair stress fractures in the navicular bone in his left foot, which prevented him from making an NBA comeback — he signed with Portland for the 2019/20 season, but never suited up for the team for health reasons.
However, Gasol was able to return to action for Barcelona this past year, winning a Liga ACB title with the team in 2021 after having won championships in 1999 and 2001 with the club. He also played for Spain in the Tokyo Olympics before officially calling it a career. Following his retirement, Gasol appears on track for eventual enshrinement in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Although Pau has been out of the league for a couple years, 2021/22 might be the first NBA season since 2000/01 that doesn’t feature at least one Gasol brother. Pau’s younger brother Marc Gasol isn’t currently on an NBA roster and is reportedly considering remaining in Spain this season.
Suns Reluctant To Offer Ayton Max Extension, Negotiations At Impasse
10:17am: Ayton won’t agree to a deal worth less than the 25% max, with Rose Rule language included to potentially push the starting salary up to 30% of the cap, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7. Based on current cap projections for 2022/23, that would mean a five-year extension worth about $172MM, or up to $207MM if Ayton makes the All-NBA team this season.
As noted below, Porter and the Nuggets technically agreed to those terms while also including a more team-friendly partially guaranteed fifth year. If Ayton is open to a similar structure, perhaps that’s an area where the two sides could compromise. If not, it may simply come down to whether or not the Suns are willing to meet his asking price.
9:23am: The Suns and center Deandre Ayton have reached an impasse in their contract negotiations, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports that the team is reluctant to offer the former No. 1 pick a maximum-salary rookie scale extension.
The Suns and Ayton have until October 18 to work out an agreement that locks up the 23-year-old long-term, but the two sides disagree on his value. As Wojnarowski explains, the Suns’ ownership group doesn’t believe Ayton is at the same level as other players who have received maximum-salary rookie scale extensions this offseason, including Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
[RELATED: 2021/22 NBA Contract Extension Tracker]
Ayton’s representatives, on the other hand, are adamant that the young center is worthy of the same sort of investment those other young stars received, based on his performance to date and his potential going forward.
Ayton’s 14.4 PPG in 2020/21 was the lowest mark of his career, but he averaged double-digit rebounds (10.5 RPG) for a third straight season, made a career-best 62.6% of his shots from the field, and improved as a defender. His modest scoring numbers were a result of his willingness to accept a reduced role on offense following the arrival of Chris Paul to Phoenix. Ayton had averaged 18.2 PPG in ’19/20.
As Wojnarowski writes, the Suns probably won’t risk losing Ayton even if they’re unable to complete an extension before the regular season begins. He’d still be eligible for restricted free agency next summer, at which point the team could either match any offer sheet he signs or – like the Hawks did with John Collins this offseason – negotiate a new deal with him directly.
Still, coming off their unlikely run to the NBA Finals, the Suns won’t want to risk upsetting any of their key players as they continue to push for a title. Wojnarowski points out that Ayton’s development and maturity has hinged largely on the trust he has built with head coach Monty Williams over the last two years. His faith in the organization could waver if he feels as if he’s not being fairly valued.
It’s possible the two sides could reach a compromise similar to the one the Nuggets reached with Michael Porter Jr. While Porter received a max extension, only $12MM of the $39MM+ cap hit in year five of his deal is guaranteed — MPJ can ensure it becomes fully guaranteed by meeting certain performance criteria over the life of the contract. It’s unclear if the Suns and/or Ayton would be open to similar terms.
The Suns remain under the luxury tax line for 2021/22, but could be a taxpayer in future years if they’re committed to keeping their core together. Besides Ayton, starting forward Mikal Bridges is also up for a rookie scale extension and the expectation is that Bridges’ new deal could exceed $20MM per year.
Clippers Notes: Ibaka, Boston, Winslow, Outlook
Clippers center Serge Ibaka, who is coming off back surgery, was cleared for contact on Monday, head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters, including Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register.
“He’s doing good,” Lue said. “We’re gonna ease him in as slow as possible and make sure he’s healthy and that’s a good sign for us. Hopefully, he’s able to get back on track (get on the floor) and take some contact.”
Ibaka was the Clippers’ starting center when he was healthy last season, but with his exact timeline for a return still unclear, Ivica Zubac figures to handle that role for the foreseeable future.
Here’s more on the Clippers:
- Rookie shooting guard Brandon Boston Jr., the 51st overall pick in the 2021 draft, may not have a regular rotation role during the regular season, but he was part of L.A.’s starting lineup during his preseason debut on Monday. As Swanson writes, Boston was “super excited” about the opportunity. “It’s actually crazy, I’m not going to lie,” Boston said after the game. “There are only 450 of us that are here, so just making the best of it while I’m here. Doing the right thing, doing the little things I need to do and just attacking it every day.”
- As long as Justise Winslow can stay healthy, the Clippers envision using him in a variety roles, ranging from a backup point guard to a small-ball center, writes Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times. “He showed us a lot in this last week and a half, two weeks,” Lue said, noting that he has been impressed by Winslow’s defensive versatility and his ability to start the fast break off a rebound.
- John Hollinger of The Athletic isn’t particularly bullish on the Clippers’ outlook this season, forecasting a 38-44 record for the team, good for 10th in the West. Hollinger’s projection for the Clippers is based on an assumption that Kawhi Leonard won’t play at all this season, and he acknowledges that the club’s ceiling will be considerably higher if Leonard is able to return in the spring.
18 Players Still Eligible For Rookie Scale Extensions
When we entered the 2021 NBA offseason, a total of 24 players were eligible to sign rookie scale extensions. A handful of players signed them quickly, as Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander locked in new deals with their respective teams during the first few days of free agency. Robert Williams and Michael Porter Jr. joined them later in the offseason.
One of the 24 extension-eligible players (Chandler Hutchison) has been waived this offseason, so after removing him and the five with new deals from our list, we’re left with 18 players who remain eligible to sign a rookie scale extension. The deadline falls on October 18 – the day before the regular season – at 5:00 pm CT.
It’s not surprising that so many extension candidates are still waiting to see if they’ll be able to land new deals. While maximum-salary contracts generally get done quickly, most other negotiations go down to the wire. A year ago, Kyle Kuzma signed a rookie scale extension a day before the deadline, then five more deals were completed on deadline day — all five of those deadline-day extensions ranged from $50-72MM in total value.
[RELATED: 2020 NBA Rookie Scale Extension Recap]
That doesn’t necessarily mean that we can count on five or six more rookie scale extensions getting signed within the next two weeks, but it’s certainly a possibility, with many viable candidates still out there.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the remaining extension-eligible players:
Top extension candidates
- Deandre Ayton (Suns)
- Mikal Bridges (Suns)
- Miles Bridges (Hornets)
- Kevin Huerter (Hawks)
- Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies)
- Collin Sexton (Cavaliers)
- Lonnie Walker (Spurs)
These seven players have already proven they can be productive starters or rotation players at the NBA level and seem like good bets to be in their team’s long-term plans. At the very least, we should count on these players engaging in extension negotiations with their respective teams prior to the October 18 deadline, even if they don’t ultimately agree to terms.
The Ayton and Mikal Bridges talks will be especially interesting to monitor. If Ayton doesn’t get the maximum salary, he’ll get something very close to it, while Bridges is probably in line for a deal worth at least $20MM+ per year. Signing both players to extensions would help the Suns lock in their long-term core, but it would also represent a major financial commitment from a team owner who has been stingy at times in the past.
I’ll also be keeping a close eye on the Jackson, Huerter, and Walker talks. Jackson is coming off an injury-plagued season and may want to bet on himself if the Grizzlies try to get him to accept a team-friendly extension.
The Hawks will have De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish due for possible extensions in 2022, so it’ll be interesting to see whether locking up Huerter now is a priority or if they’d rather wait until next year to assess all three situations at once.
As for Walker, the Spurs have made a habit of signing their young players to rookie scale extensions in recent years, having extended Dejounte Murray in 2019 and Derrick White in 2020. I expect they’ll try to do the same with Walker.
Wild cards
- Grayson Allen (Bucks)
- Troy Brown (Bulls)
- Wendell Carter Jr. (Magic)
- Donte DiVincenzo (Bucks)
- Aaron Holiday (Wizards)
- Landry Shamet (Suns)
- Anfernee Simons (Trail Blazers)
Allen, Holiday, and Shamet all changed teams this offseason, while Brown and Carter did so at the 2021 trade deadline. Extensions for players who are new to a franchise are typically less frequent, since teams are often reluctant to make long-term commitments to players who haven’t been in their system for years and, in some cases, have yet to play a single game for their new teams.
Of those five players, Carter and Shamet might be the best candidate for new deals. Carter was a centerpiece of last season’s Nikola Vucevic trade and the Magic got a good look at him down the stretch. Shamet, meanwhile, is a player the Suns has been targeting for a while, though the team will probably prioritize extensions for Ayton and Bridges.
As for DiVincenzo and Simons, I put them in this category because I think their teams like them but might prefer to wait before signing them to multiyear contracts. DiVincenzo is coming off a foot injury that sidelined him for the Bucks‘ playoff run, while Simons is taking on a new role under Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups.
Unlikely extension candidates
- Marvin Bagley III (Kings)
- Mohamed Bamba (Magic)
- Kevin Knox (Knicks)
- Josh Okogie (Timberwolves)
Perhaps there’s a deal to be made here if any one of these four players is willing to take a very team-friendly extension. But at this point, I wouldn’t view any of them as a lock to receive even a qualifying offer in 2022 free agency, let alone a multiyear contract offer.
Barring a major surprise, Bagley, Bamba, Knox, and Okogie will have to prove on the court this season that they’re worth investing in going forward.
Oldest, Youngest Players On NBA Rosters For 2021/22
Given how often the relative age of the Lakers‘ roster served as a punchline this offseason, it perhaps comes as no surprise that Los Angeles has the most players on this season’s list of the top 10 oldest players in the NBA. A trio of Lakers show up on this year’s list, and a fourth would have made the cut if the club hadn’t jettisoned 36-year-old Marc Gasol last month.
However, it’s not a Lakers player who has the honor of being the oldest player in the NBA in 2021/22. That distinction still belongs to Heat big man Udonis Haslem, who became the league’s oldest active player a year ago following Vince Carter‘s retirement and still holds the title. Haslem was born three-and-a-half years before any other active player, so as long as he keeps signing one-year deals with Miami to extend his career, it’s safe to assume he’ll remain atop this list.
The Lakers, Heat, and Nets, three teams with championship aspirations, all have multiple players among the league’s 10 oldest.
While it’s possible this top 10 could change a little when regular season rosters are set in mid-October, none of these players appears in danger of being waived.
Here’s the list of the oldest players in the NBA heading into the ’21/22 season:
- Udonis Haslem, Heat (born 6/9/1980)
- Andre Iguodala, Warriors (born 1/28/1984)
- Carmelo Anthony, Lakers (born 5/29/1984)
- LeBron James, Lakers (born 12/30/1984)
- Paul Millsap, Nets (born 2/10/1985)
- P.J. Tucker, Heat (born 5/5/1985)
- Chris Paul, Suns (born 5/6/1985)
- Taj Gibson, Knicks (born 6/24/1985)
- Trevor Ariza, Lakers (born 6/30/1985)
- LaMarcus Aldridge, Nets (born 7/19/1985)
On the other end of the spectrum, nine of the NBA’s top 10 youngest active players were selected in the 2021 draft, while the 10th was an undrafted rookie free agent.
Interestingly, five of the league’s 10 youngest players are on two teams that battled for the Western Conference crown in 2018 and 2019 — the Rockets have three names on the list below, while the Warriors have two.
One of Houston’s youngsters – Daishen Nix – is on a non-guaranteed contract and may not be on the team’s roster in a few weeks when the regular season begins. However, if he comes off the list, we can just replace him with another Rocket — Jalen Green (born 2/9/2002) is currently the NBA’s 11th-youngest player.
Here are the 10 youngest players currently on NBA rosters:
- Joshua Primo, Spurs (born 12/24/2002)
- Josh Giddey, Thunder (born 10/10/2002)
- Jonathan Kuminga, Warriors (born 10/6/2002)
- Jaden Springer, Sixers (born 9/25/2002)
- JT Thor, Hornets (born 8/26/2002)
- Alperen Sengun, Rockets (born 7/25/2002)
- Moses Moody, Warriors (born 5/31/2002)
- Keon Johnson, Clippers (born 3/10/2002)
- Usman Garuba, Rockets (born 3/9/2002)
- Daishen Nix, Rockets (born 2/13/2002)
Information from Basketball-Reference was used in the creation of this post.
Hoops Rumors’ 2021 NBA Free Agent Tracker
With the NBA’s 2021/22 regular season around the corner, Hoops Rumors is here to help you keep track of which players signed new contracts during the offseason.
To this end, we present our Free Agent Tracker, a tool we’ve maintained each year since our inception in 2012. Using our tracker, you can quickly look up deals, sorting by team, position, free agent type, and a handful of other variables.
A few notes on the tracker:
- Some of the information you’ll find in the tracker will reflect tentative agreements, rather than finalized deals. As signings become official, we’ll continue to update and modify the data as needed.
- Similarly, contract years and dollars will be based on what’s been reported to date, so in many cases those amounts will be approximations rather than official figures. Salaries aren’t necessarily fully guaranteed either.
- Players who were reported to have training camp/Exhibit 10 deals in place weeks or months ago won’t be added to the tracker until those deals are official. That’s why, for instance, Luke Kornet‘s deal with the Celtics isn’t listed, even though it’s still expected to happen at some point in the next couple weeks.
- If you’re viewing the tracker on our mobile site, be sure to turn your phone sideways to see more details.
Our 2021 Free Agent Tracker can be found anytime on the right sidebar of our desktop site under “Hoops Rumors Features,” and it’s also under the “Tools” menu atop the site. On our mobile site, it can be found in our menu under “Free Agent Lists.”
The tracker will be updated throughout the offseason, right up until opening night, so be sure to check back for the latest info. If you have any corrections, please let us know right here.
Our lists of free agents by position/type and by team break down the players who have yet to reach contract agreements.
Lakers Notes: Centers, Monk, Two-Ways, Brown, Queen
With Anthony Davis expected to see more action at the center spot this season, it remains to be seen how much playing time former All-NBA big men Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan will get at the five for the Lakers. However, as Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times writes, Jordan isn’t overly concerned about how many minutes he’ll play.
“That’s the blessing of it, having a lot of different lineups that you can use. And I think each game is gonna have a say on what we do,” Jordan said on Saturday. “We can be rolling with a huge lineup. And, you know, we’ll win with that. And some games may need us to go small. And I think that at this point of my career, of all of our careers, you know, at the end of the day, ultimately, we just want to be able to win and be able to achieve something as a collective.”
Howard, who played a career-low 17.3 minutes per contest last season in Philadelphia, shares Jordan’s philosophy.
“Leave the ego at the door, leave it at home when you wake up,” Howard said of his role. “There’s no need to have it. We all represent this emblem that’s behind me, this Laker logo. We understand that, and it’s whatever the team needs to win.”
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Malik Monk‘s impressive preseason debut on Sunday further complicates an already-crowded battle for playing time at shooting guard, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, who observes that the Lakers will have to find time at the two for Monk, Wayne Ellington, Talen Horton-Tucker, Kent Bazemore, and Kendrick Nunn. Nunn has generally played point guard, but may not see much action there if Russell Westbrook plays big minutes and Rajon Rondo has a regular role, Buha notes.
- Cameron Oliver, Mac McClung, Chaundee Brown, and Trevelin Queen are the camp invitees currently in the mix for the Lakers’ second two-way contract slot, but the team could end up going outside of the organization to fill that spot, as Buta writes in the same story. “We’re gonna see how the preseason plays out,” head coach Frank Vogel said. “See who all is available, both the guys that are here, or who are around the league, guys that might get cut, and we’ll make a decision closer to opening night.”
- If the Lakers do convert one of their current camp invitees to a two-way contract, Brown and Queen may be the frontrunners, says Buha. Both of those players are wings, which might be the Lakers’ biggest need.
2021 NBA Offseason In Review: Chicago Bulls
Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2021 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s offseason moves, examine what still needs to be done before opening night, and look ahead to what the 2021/22 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Chicago Bulls.
Free agent signings:
Note: Exhibit 10 deals and non-guaranteed camp invites aren’t included here.
- DeMar DeRozan: Three years, $81.9MM. Acquired via sign-and-trade.
- Lonzo Ball: Four years, $80MM. Fourth-year player option. $4MM in unlikely incentives. Acquired via sign-and-trade.
- Alex Caruso: Four years, $36.98MM. Fourth year partially guaranteed. Signed using mid-level exception.
- Tony Bradley: Two years, minimum salary. Second-year player option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Javonte Green: Two years, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
- Alize Johnson: Two years, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Devon Dotson: Two-way contract. Accepted two-way qualifying offer as restricted free agent.
Trades:
- Acquired cash ($1.1MM) from the Rockets in exchange for Daniel Theis (sign-and-trade).
- Acquired Lonzo Ball (sign-and-trade) from the Pelicans in exchange for Tomas Satoransky, Garrett Temple (sign-and-trade), the Bulls’ 2024 second-round pick, and cash ($1.2MM).
- Acquired DeMar DeRozan (sign-and-trade) from the Spurs in exchange for Thaddeus Young, Al-Farouq Aminu, the Bulls’ 2025 first-round pick (top-10 protected), either the Pistons’ or Bulls’ 2022 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable), and the Bulls’ 2025 second-round pick.
- Note: If the Bulls don’t convey their 2023 first-round pick (top-four protected) to Orlando in 2023, the first-round pick they send the Spurs will be pushed back until at least 2026.
- Note: The Spurs already had the ability to swap the Lakers’ 2022 second-round pick for either the Pistons’ or Bulls’ 2022 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable). Now they’ll receive the Lakers’ pick and the most favorable of the Pistons’ and Bulls’ picks.
- Acquired Derrick Jones (from Trail Blazers), the Trail Blazers’ 2022 first-round pick (top-14 protected), and the Nuggets’ 2023 second-round pick (top-46 protected; from Cavaliers) in a three-team trade in exchange for Lauri Markkanen (sign-and-trade; to Cavaliers).
Draft picks:
- 2-38: Ayo Dosunmu
- Signed to two-year, minimum-salary contract. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Draft-and-stash signings:
- Marko Simonovic (No. 44 pick; 2020 draft)
- Signed to three-year, minimum-salary contract. Signed using mid-level exception.
Contract extensions:
- None
Departing players:
- Al-Farouq Aminu
- Ryan Arcidiacono
- Cristiano Felicio
- Lauri Markkanen
- Adam Mokoka
- Tomas Satoransky
- Garrett Temple
- Daniel Theis
- Denzel Valentine
- Thaddeus Young
Other offseason news:
- Coby White underwent shoulder surgery and is expected to miss the start of the 2021/22 season.
- Patrick Williams sprained his ankle and is expected to miss the start of the 2021/22 season.
Salary cap situation:
- Remained over the cap and below the tax line.
- Carrying approximately $131.9MM in salary.
- Hard-capped at $143MM.
- $10,742 of non-taxpayer mid-level exception still available ($9,525,258 used on Alex Caruso and Marko Simonovic).
- Full bi-annual exception ($3,732,000) still available.
- One traded player exception ($5,000,000) available.
Lingering preseason issues:
- The Bulls have 13 players on guaranteed contracts, so they could still fill two roster spots. Alize Johnson, Stanley Johnson, Tyler Cook, Daniel Oturu, and Matt Thomas all have non-guaranteed contracts and are expected to battle for a roster spot.
- The Bulls have an open two-way contract slot.
- Troy Brown is eligible for a rookie scale contract extension until October 18.
- Nikola Vucevic is eligible for a veteran contract extension until October 18.
- Zach LaVine is eligible for a veteran contract extension all season.
The Bulls’ offseason:
The Bulls got a jump on the offseason at the 2021 trade deadline when they sent two future first-round picks and a recent first-round selection (Wendell Carter Jr.) to Orlando in a deal for All-Star center Nikola Vucevic.
The move – meant to catapult Chicago into the postseason – didn’t make much of an impact in the short term. The team posted an underwhelming record of 12-17 after the deadline and didn’t even make it to the play-in tournament, let alone the playoffs.
However, that trade wasn’t made with just the 2020/21 season in mind. Vucevic remains under contract for the next two years, and Chicago’s moves this summer have shown that deadline blockbuster was just the first of a series of win-now acquisitions made by a club pushing hard to end its four-year postseason drought.
Entering the summer, the point guard position was viewed as perhaps the greatest area of need for the Bulls, who had relied on 21-year-old Coby White as their starter last season. White underwent shoulder surgery this offseason that will sideline him to start the season, but even if he had been healthy, an upgrade would’ve been required.
The Bulls wasted no time in addressing the point guard spot, agreeing to acquire Lonzo Ball in a sign-and-trade deal with the Pelicans. In fact, the terms of that swap were agreed upon so quickly – they were reported within minutes of free agency opening – that the two teams are currently under investigation for possible tampering or “gun-jumping.”
While Chicago may face a minor penalty as a result of that investigation, the addition of Ball is a good one. The former No. 2 overall pick is a solid play-maker and defender who has improved as a shooter in recent years. And landing another point guard – Alex Caruso – on a long-term deal helped further shore up the position. Caruso is a stout perimeter defender who will never be relied upon to score 15-20 points per night, but can knock down open shots and contributes on the court in a variety of useful ways.
Chicago’s other major transaction this offseason was acquiring DeMar DeRozan in a sign-and-trade from San Antonio. I didn’t love the move for the Bulls, who surrendered a productive player (Thaddeus Young) and a first-round pick in the trade and will pay DeRozan $81MM over three years, far more money than he seemed likely to have on the table from any other team.
Even if you throw out the assets and money involved and focus exclusively on DeRozan’s on-court fit, I’m not fully sold. This Bulls team should be extremely dangerous offensively, but DeRozan, Vucevic, and Zach LaVine aren’t exactly All-Defense candidates. Chicago will be relying heavily on the likes of Ball, Caruso, Patrick Williams, and Derrick Jones to help the team get defensive stops.
With White and Williams both expected to miss the start of the regular season due to injuries, the Bulls’ depth will also be tested early in the year. Javonte Green and Tony Bradley are among those likely to take on bigger roles than they’re accustomed to, and the club will have to hope at least one or two of its young players show they’re ready to play regular minutes too. Rookies Ayo Dosunmu and Marko Simonovic will be in that mix, as will Troy Brown, a fourth-year pro who is still just 22 years old but is coming off a down year.
While losing a first-round pick in the DeRozan sign-and-trade hurt, the Bulls did well to get a first-rounder back in their Lauri Markkanen sign-and-trade. Chicago had to accept an unwanted contract in the deal, but Jones’ expiring deal isn’t onerous, and he should actually play a role for the Bulls in 2021/22.
The Bulls’ upcoming season:
The Bulls are well-positioned to improve upon a disappointing 31-41 season, but projecting a Hawks-esque jump into the top five of the Eastern Conference may be overly optimistic. When Atlanta leaped from the lottery to the Eastern Finals last year, it was due more to the growth of their young core than the contributions of their veteran free agent additions, many of whom missed significant time with injuries.
In the Bulls’ case, there aren’t a ton of young core players they can bank on to improve — Markkanen is gone, LaVine appears pretty close to his ceiling, and it may not be realistic to expect big leaps from White and Williams when they’re coming off injuries and will miss the training camp and the preseason.
That means the Bulls’ 2021/22 season could come down to whether or not LaVine still has another level and how quickly newcomers like Ball, DeRozan, and Caruso get assimilated and make an impact. We can include Vucevic in that group too, since he’ll be getting extensive practice time with his new team for the first time this fall after having to adjust on the fly in March.
If the Bulls’ new-look roster jells quickly, we should expect the club to vie for a top-six spot in the East. If not, Chicago will likely have to fight its way into the postseason via the play-in tournament.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.