Chicago Bulls: 3 free agents from New York Knicks to consider
By Ryan Heckman
The Chicago Bulls could go after free agent center Nerlens Noel
Like Bullock, Nerlens Noel is another former first-round pick who has made his way around the league. Noel was the sixth overall pick back in that same 2013 draft class. He spent a couple of seasons starting for the Philadelphia 76ers after beginning his career by sitting out his rookie year with an injury.
After his stint in Philadelphia, Noel played a couple of seasons each with the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder. Last year was his only season with the Knicks and also his first season being a starter in quite some time.
Over the course of 2020-2021, Noel started 41 games. He was not a big part of the team offensively, but still provided a lift on the defensive end. In total, Noel averaged 9.5 rebounds and 3.3 blocks on a per-36-minute basis last year.
The Bulls will need a backup center to play behind Nikola Vucevic going forward, and Noel would be a great candidate to do so. Getting a bit of a defensive lift off the bench could help Chicago, as they’ve recently struggled on that end. With Mitchell Robinson coming back next season, Noel would return to New York as a backup as well. It’s possible he’d have to choose between the best fit in terms of which backup spot he wanted to take.