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The Chicago Bulls gave off all the right intentions that they were a team who could compete to get into the playoffs during the regular season. They had two stars in Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic and some exciting shooters in the side such as Coby White and Lauri Markkanen.
But after the All-Star break, the Bulls went 15-23 and struggled defensively. They ended up finishing outside the playoff berths and even missed out on a play-in tournament spot. LaVine is set to become a free agent next year, therefore this season could be hugely decisive for Chicago and their ability to compete in the coming seasons.
In this article, we will examine three issues the Chicago Bulls must address in the 2021 offseason in order to improve in the 2021-22 campaign.
What must the Chicago Bulls do in the 2021 offseason to be successful?
The last decade has been tough on the Chicago Bulls and performances on the court have been far removed from what the fanbase became accustomed to in the Michael Jordan-dominated 90s. In the last six seasons, the Bulls have been to the playoffs on just one occasion, losing in the first round to the Celtics, and have finished lower than tenth in the East four years in a row.
However, there is growing excitement around the current crop of players in Chicago. If the front office can get the balance right and fix a few holes in the roster, they could be on for a winning campaign next year. Here are three issues they need to address first before any basketball is played.
#3 Decide on Lauri Markkanens's future
Lauri Markkanen is set to become a restricted free agent in the offseason. It is yet unknown if the Chicago Bulls will match any contending offers should they come in for the Finnish forward. Markkanen provides a lot on offense and averaged career-highs in field-goal shooting (47.9%), three-point percentage (39.4%), true shooting percentage (61.4%) and effective field-goal percentage (58.8%).
For all of his offensive benefits to the Bulls, the 24-year-old has begun his NBA career as an injury risk, having missed 69 games over the last four campaigns. He has also yet to master his defensive ability, an aspect of Chicago's game that has let him down this season.
Not signing Markkanen still leaves the Chicago Bulls above salary cap level but it does give them flexibility in their attempts to keep Daniel Theis. Essentially, the Fin is a prolific Sixth Man whom the Bulls do not want to pay a starter's salary. They either commit and try to make it work between him and Vucevic on the floor together or cut their losses and try to complete a sign-and-trade deal or move him further down the line.
#2 Finding a point guard
The Chicago Bulls have had a point guard-shaped hole since Derrick Rose's All-Star days. They not only need a floor general but somebody who can partner with Zach LaVine in the backcourt. Coby White impressed in his sophomore year in the league but is undergoing surgery during the offseason and it is unknown how this will affect his game when he returns.
Trading White wouldn't make much sense for the Bulls as his current value would be far lower than what they could get for him further down the line. The 21-year-old averaged 15 points and 4.8 assists this year and shot at over 90% from the free-throw line. The Bulls may instead try to create cap space by completing a sign-and-trade deal but that would involve them losing Markkanen, Thaddeus Young or Tomas Satoransky.
It could be worth it though for the Bulls, especially given the wealth of guard talent in the free agency market. They could pursue the likes of Spencer Dinwiddie via a sign-and-trade or use their midlevel exception to bring in Cameron Payne, Ish Smith or T.J. McConnell.
#1 Zach LaVine's contract
One of the biggest problems that needs addressing this offseason by the Chicago Bulls is what to do about superstar Zach LaVine's contract. The 26-year-old had a career-year and was scintillating on offense, averaging over 27 points per game and finished with shooting splits of 50-41-85. However, the shooting guard will become an unrestricted free agent at the culmination of next season and the Bulls currently can't offer him enough money for him to sign a new contract with the franchise.
The Bulls will offer LaVine a four-year, $105m contract on the first day of free agency this summer knowing full well he won't sign. Unfortunately for the organization, the maximum they can give him is $23.4m per year, which is just over $11m less than what he is projected to receive as a free agent.
Currently, the only solution for the Chicago Bulls is either renegotiating LaVine's contract or focusing the money on greater problems within the roster. To create the cap space required, they would have to renounce their free agents and would have no maneuverability on the free agency market.
