Chicago Bulls: An early look at 5 free agents to pursue
By Ryan Heckman
Center Jusuf Nurkic, Portland Trail Blazers
Age: 23
Experience: Four seasons
Type of free agent: Restricted
2017 averages: 14.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.4 blocks in 26.4 minutes per game
Remember, once upon a time, when the Bulls made a trade to acquire Doug McDermott from the Denver Nuggets? Funny enough, the trade involved the Bulls sending the draft rights of Jusuf Nurkic to Denver. Now, I’d like to see them bring him back.
Nurkic went from Denver to the Portland Trail Blazers where he really came into his own over the past season. He’s proven to be a viable scoring option at the center position and was a huge reason the Blazers had so much success during the regular season this year.
Known to be a strong, physical presence in the paint, Nurkic would give the Bulls a different look than Felicio currently does. Felicio isn’t as prolific a scorer as Nurkic, nor the level of rebounder either.
With Robin Lopez as the current starter, Nurkic would definitely give him a run for his money. It is still unclear whether or not Lopez will be involved in a trade attempt, or if the Bulls will ride out the last year of his contract in the coming season. Either way, Nurkic would be a younger option at the position who could solidify the Bulls front court for years to come.