Report: Bulls will be "sneaky" in free agency

RoseMVP1

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It was widely thought that the Bulls were looking to the summer of 2019 to make a big splash in free agency, but the team might be looking to contend as soon as next season.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Tuesday night that the Bulls “are going to be sneaky in free agency. They’ve got a young core that people want to play with… they have sped up the rebuild.”

The Bulls will have enough flexibility that they can fairly easily free up enough cap space to sign a free agent to a max contract when free agency begins July 1. Right now I’m projecting them to enter July with just over $24 million in cap space. They can increase that amount by not signing several of their own free agents like David Nwaba, drafting a European player with the 22nd pick and agreeing to keep him overseas, waiving a player and ‘stretching’ his contract, or trading away salary to a team with cap space.

A ‘max’ salary is based on years in the league and the league’s actual cap. The latest projections have the cap for next season at $101 million. A 10-year vet like Lebron James will command a first-year salary of approximately $36 million. A player like Marcus Smart would be eligible for a first-year salary of around $26 million next season. That first-year salary is essentially the only number that matters when trying to fit a contract into a team’s cap space.



Rob Lopez
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Woj says the #Bulls could be 'sneaky' in free agency due to their young core and city. He believes Chicago could be a factor in July.

8:02 PM - Jun 5, 2018
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The centerpiece of last year’s Jimmy Butler deal, Zach LaVine, is a restricted free agent this summer, and the Bulls would wait to re-sign him until after inking a potential max free agent. LaVine’s cap hold is just $9.6 million this summer, and as long as they accounted for that amount, they could go over the cap in signing LaVine to a long-term deal.

Our Bulls pregame and postgame host Mark Schanowski pointed out several free agents the Bulls could pursue:


Mark Schanowski

@MarkSchanowski
That was a pretty interesting comment by Woj. He also said the Bulls want to accelerate the rebuild. Don’t think they’ll be going after LeBron or Paul George, but they could extend an offer sheet to a RFA like Clint Capela, Jabari Parker, Jusuf Nurkic or Marcus Smart. https://twitter.com/blazersbysagar/status/1004148120488296448

8:30 PM - Jun 5, 2018
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It is believed that the Rockets will match any offer that Clint Capela gets, but if general manager Daryl Morey is pursuing LeBron, It could open a window for the Bulls to swoop in and sign the Rockets center. Teams can negotiate with free agents starting July 1 with players eligible to sign contracts on July 6.


Woj started this rumor so you know there's truth to it. He doesn't typically miss. We have no shot at Paul George and LeBron, even if we had a better team, doesn't have the balls to play in Jordan's house. I'm guessing this means a play for Capela or Jabari. I hope I'm wrong. I don't have anything against Capela, but he can't shoot at all and would be getting a lot of money. I'd rather just go after Bamba in the draft.

I wouldn't mind testing out Jabari on a one year deal, if the Bulls could get him. Hopefully the FO is smart enough not to sign him to big money on a long term deal coming off 2 ACL tears. I'd rather just wait until next year and try to snag Klay Thompson and maybe another guy.
 

clonetrooper264

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I don't really see the point of throwing a max contract at anyone available this year (Lebron and PG aren't coming anyway). Just seems like another waste of space contract move...which wouldn't surprise me really. If ever there was a time to try to cheap out and get some bargain contracts, I'd say this would be the time so as to not jeopardize their ability to try to sign someone the following year.

But it's GarPax so expect mediocrity.
 

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Mark Schanowski

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....they could extend an offer sheet to a RFA like Clint Capela, Jabari Parker, Jusuf Nurkic or Marcus Smart.

Dear god, no to Capela. He is a system big that is the beneficiary of two stat padding PGs. Chris Paul made quite a few scrub bigs look like all-stars in spurts. Aaron Gray was unbelievable in two games during the 2011 playoffs and had nothing to do with Gray breaking out. So no, please no. Let someone else overpay for Capela... or if they are trying to raise his stock, go for it. Hype-suckers will buy anything, I get that, he's just not good enough of a player to drop big money on. Worth 7-9m a year, depending on annual load and he doesn't get this team much further than they would be.

Marcus Smart? Oh fuck no. The only person that flops more than Bran. Do not want. Do not want to watch a team of floppers. The refs know his reputation, so that is a move that does not help this organization.

Who's going to give Jabari his true market value? He's going to get overpaid. He's rarely healthy, so if the Bulls squander big bucks on Parker, you know the beat-writers are going to rag on him all season long when everyone with half a brain should know he's going to have downtime. IMO, Parker is the new TMac as far as guys getting tossed around on Bulls writers and fans wishlists. But I do admit, that's a fun hype-train to jump on board. So with all that being said. If he comes here under the max(which I doubt) then I love it. Otherwise it's more romance than logic.

Jusuf Nurkic is a good player. Looking at it from certain angles could make sense, but I fail to see how he fits this team without the equivalent of staying on track for the same rebuild the Bulls are on without '[speeding] up the rebuild'. If this is your target, then the Bulls basically failed to secure Bamba at a minimum or trade up in the draft(assuming that is their strategy and not what I would personally do). I wouldn't be upset with this pickup, but again, it's going to be super easy to overpay him, and that is where the Bulls can screw themselves in the years to come. With 2018 being a great draft for big-men, Nurkic could wind up going from a top-10 center, to a top 20-30 in a matter of two seasons. Then what?


You need vets, yes. But look at the aging old guard in this league, the teams with the stacked deck, and figure out how you're going to match up with a revamped Celtics team next season. And IMO, aside from Parker living up to some potential, the Bulls need to keep developing chips and stop squandering inevitable trade opportunities.
 

RacerX

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Not a huge Capela fan, but would rather spend money on him instead of Lavine.

The imminent and inevitable Lavine contract is going to be an albatross, so guaranteed GarPax will double-down and grotesquely overpay for an injured volume scorer that can't play D and will miss half the season.

I pray for better lotto ping-pong luck 112 months from now.
 

anotheridiot

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Not a huge Capela fan, but would rather spend money on him instead of Lavine.

The imminent and inevitable Lavine contract is going to be an albatross, so guaranteed GarPax will double-down and grotesquely overpay for an injured volume scorer that can't play D and will miss half the season.

I pray for better lotto ping-pong luck 112 months from now.

Pretty sure Lavine has what it takes to play D, length, quickness, speed, never really heard he was a liability like nico or valentine.

Someone will pay levine. The Cavs lost Kyrie and only have a pick left.

Marcus Smart is a problem, Jabari could find a good fit here in chicago, at least he would have learned away before coming back home.

I still do not see ANY free agent WANTING to come to chicago, Shanowsli looking to keep his bulls job by kissing the organizations ass. Nobody will want to come til Garpax is gone.
 

Axl Rose

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they have sped up the rebuild.

Why? Pockets hurting already from missing the playoffs? I have less than zero interest in Marcus Smart or anyone who would command a huge deal this offseason.

To Raskolnikov's reputation comment: I have no interest in DMC either. Hes coming off an injury that no player has come back the same from and hes a headcase. I wouldn't mind Klay Thompson next year though.
 

Probie2429

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If Lebron was smart, the Bulls are his best destination if he opts out which is looking more likely now that the Cavs got embarrassed by Golden State. Lots of cap room. Young players similar to Boston. Another top 10 pick. Big market. The Jordan shadow is 20 years ago now. I think that should be a non-factor.

Plus, the Bulls already have their Tyronne Lue in Hoiberg so Lebron could just be the player/coach without all the drama with a coaching change.
 

RoseMVP1

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The Jordan shadow is 20 years ago now. I think that should be a non-factor.
.

I don’t think he could handle that pressure. If he came here and never won shit, he’s never hear the end of it.
 

Alpha Male

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I don’t think he could handle that pressure. If he came here and never won shit, he’s never hear the end of it.

I really don't think he would get shit from bulls fans especially if he keeps making the finals with them as he always does. Its a moot point anyway because bulls never have gotten a big time FA or made a blockbuster trade for a stud. Our best hope is to do a 6ers style process.
 

RacerX

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Pretty sure Lavine has what it takes to play D, length, quickness, speed, never really heard he was a liability like nico or valentine.

Someone will pay levine. The Cavs lost Kyrie and only have a pick left.

Marcus Smart is a problem, Jabari could find a good fit here in chicago, at least he would have learned away before coming back home.

I still do not see ANY free agent WANTING to come to chicago, Shanowsli looking to keep his bulls job by kissing the organizations ass. Nobody will want to come til Garpax is gone.

Agreed no worthy FA will come to Chicago, and I can’t blame them. Not with this FO.

Back to Lavine, I would rather sign no one and fully embrace the tank, Lavine is - at best - fool’s gold. So, in other words, he will soon receive an albatross contract from GarPax. This isn’t a playoff team with or without Lavine so what’s the point?
 

RacerX

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If Lebron was smart, the Bulls are his best destination if he opts out which is looking more likely now that the Cavs got embarrassed by Golden State. Lots of cap room. Young players similar to Boston. Another top 10 pick. Big market. The Jordan shadow is 20 years ago now. I think that should be a non-factor.

Plus, the Bulls already have their Tyronne Lue in Hoiberg so Lebron could just be the player/coach without all the drama with a coaching change.

Why would Lebron be better off here than, say, Phi? A few million is a secondary priority for him.

And I don’t think anyone outside this thread believes our talent is comparable to Boston’s.
 

Alpha Male

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Why would Lebron be better off here than, say, Phi? A few million is a secondary priority for him.

And I don’t think anyone outside this thread believes our talent is comparable to Boston’s.

Philly can easily offer him a max as they will have the second highest cap space this season.
 

Axl Rose

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Lets get over the LeBron fantasy. The guy hates Chicago.
 

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