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Are Chicago Bulls prepping for “sneaky” free agent play in 2018?

By Khari Thompson

(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /
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Reports have trickled in that the Chicago Bulls might be more active in free agency than previously thought. Can they pull off a surprise and attract a player that can ignite playoff hopes?

The results of the 2017-18 weren’t pretty for the Chicago Bulls from beginning to end, unfortunately, as the tank season they attempted to pull off only ended up netting them the No. 7 overall pick in the NBA Draft (though they can still get a highly-useful player there).

But perhaps there’s a silver lining to the fact that the tank didn’t go as well as expected. Specifically, it sounds like people have noticed how exciting this young Bulls core is and might want in on Chicago’s version of “The Process”.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the man with his finger on the pulse of all things NBA, the Chicago Bulls might be willing to roll the dice for a shot at contention sooner rather than later.

And that could mean dipping into a 2018 free agent class that has some intriguing young options on the table.

According to Woj, 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.”

Oh, really? Now that’s an intriguing thought.

While the Chicago Bulls won just 27 games in 2018, they showed flashes of being an interesting team in the coming years.

Kris Dunn took big strides as a play-making and scoring guard last season. Zach LaVine looked healthy in his return from an ACL injury in February of 2017. And big man Lauri Markkanen made this year’s All-Rookie First Team. Bobby Portis gave us glimpses of being a bench cornerstone.

Plus, Fred Hoiberg has quietly grown into a solid NBA coach who has managed a few very disparate team situations with poise and resilience.

All in all, it’s not that hard to see why players might see the Bulls both as a team ready to make a playoff run sooner rather than later while also viewing it as a place that they can come and carve out a big role themselves.

And though the Bulls aren’t going to luring big fish like LeBron and Paul George, there are some good young players that could elevate this team.

In particular, I’d be most interested in Jabari Parker and Clint Capela.

Parker, the hometown kid, has recovered from two significant knee injuries to regain his status as a solid young player who, at just 23 years old, still has a lot of room for potential growth. In particular, he could fit as a 3 or 4 on this team, bolstering the team’s offense and outside shooting.

That said, the injury concerns have to be pretty scary for the Bulls. For that reason, I wouldn’t bet on this move.

On the other hand, Capela is one of the best young big men in the league, with his shot-blocking, hustle and ability to torture defenses as a pick-and-roll threat. He’s also young at 24, leaving him plenty of time to develop a more significant offensive game while serving as a staunch defensive anchor for a young team like the Bulls if the Rockets don’t elect to keep the restricted free agent.

In that scenario, a free-floating LeBron James could significantly help the Bulls, possibly leading them to sacrifice Capela for the sake of getting James to Houston.

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No Marcus Smart? No, probably not. While I like his toughness, he’s not quite valuable enough to justify spending a lot of money on right now. If the rebuild were only further along…

And truthfully, that could go for any 2018 restricted or unrestricted free agent. Should you spend money for a guy now that isn’t a top-20 player and won’t move the needle significantly for you next year? That’s a big risk, and it could preclude them from making big free agent plays later on.

Not every star role player turns into James Harden when you give him the keys to his own team.

Now, the Bulls could try to wait for the likes of Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving and Kawhi Leonard to pop up as free agents potentially in 2019, but you don’t want to put all your eggs in that basket. And a lot of that willl depend on how the Chicago Bulls perform in 2018. None of those guys will want to lead teams that are still rebuilding.

Next: Who Bulls should avoid with No. 22 pick

That said, maybe the rebuild could be happening at a more accelerated pace, at least in the eyes of the league, than we anticipated. And with a solid pick at No. 7 in the draft, perhaps the Bulls can convince a talented young free agent to join up with this core.

If they believe that player is worth it and is a more realistic option than grabbing one of 2019’s big fishes, that’s at least something to consider.

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