Chicago Bulls: What to expect on the first day of free agency

The NBA free agency period starts Aug. 2 at 5 p.m. CST. Here’s what to expect from the Chicago Bulls once the free agency gates open up.

The Bulls have already made plenty of moves, to begin with, this offseason. Here’s a quick recap of how Arturas Karnisovas & Co. has steered the ship since the NBA draft.

• The Bulls selected Illinois guard and Chicago native, Ayo Dosunmu, with the 38th pick in the NBA draft.
• The team extended a qualifying offer to Lauri Markkanen, making him a restricted free agent.
• The Bulls declined Ryan Arciadiacono’s $3 million team option.
• The Bulls still need to decide on the partial guarantees of Thaddeus Young and Tomas Satoransky.

Going over the roster and potential moves, the Bulls have a lot of decision-making to do. Between the possible returners and the names they have been tied to in free agency, AKME will have their hands full once the free agency period begins.

The Chicago Bulls are serious about making themselves better before next season.

Lauri Markkanen

Markkanen seems to be the most entertaining piece of Bulls players heading out into the free agency market. The goal for the Bulls is clearly to sign-and-trade Markkanen to get a return on their initial investment in him back from the Jimmy Butler trade. The Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs, and Oklahoma City Thunder are all tied into having an interest in a sign-and-trade for Markkanen.

A move like this would be huge for the Bulls to retain assets in return for Markkanen. If this doesn’t happen, it’s unlikely the Bulls will match any offer that Markkanen receives in free agency. The Bulls have bigger free agent names on their mind.

The Point Guard Situation

According to sources, the Bulls and Lonzo Ball intend to work out a four-year contract worth around $80 million once free agency hits.

This would be ideal for the Bulls because Ball is a full-court, high-energy, playmaking point guard that could drastically enhance the offense and the perimeter defense of the team.

On the other side of the rumor mill, the Bulls are reportedly interested in signing Derrick Rose. Rose is obviously a staple of Bulls basketball and has been playing well enough in New York to draw interest back to Chicago.

There is even hearsay of the Bulls going after both Rose and Ball. However, according to Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago, the Bulls will only have around $24 million in cap space if they cut ties with all free agents and partial contracts. This probably isn’t enough to sign Rose, Ball, and fill the rest of the roster spots.

The best guess is that Ball is the main target in free agency. If suitors emerge with higher offers, like the Los Angeles Clippers, the Bulls will adhere to Rose as their solution to the point guard position.

The Partial Guarantees

Thaddeus Young and Tomas Satoransky have partial guarantee contracts that the Bulls have to decide whether or not to pick up for the upcoming season.

There could be free agency interest in Satoransky, which may help the Bulls make their decision. Sato would give the Bulls an additional $5 million in cap space this offseason if he were released. Because the Bulls are tied down to Coby White’s rookie contract and are set on spending top dollar for a new starting point guard, there is a low chance Sato returns as a Bull.

In terms of Young, he was tagged with the phrase “trade bait” all season long. His value skyrocketed after head coach Billy Donovan exposed Young as a gifted passer, averaging 4.3 assists per game, and an effective defender. At this point, the Bulls will more than likely bring back Young and let Sato walk in free agency.

Javale McGee

According to Chris B. Haynes on NBA TV, the Bulls have an interest in big man JaVale McGee. McGee averaged 5.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in 13 games with the Denver Nuggets at the end of this season. He shot just under 50 percent from the field and 75 percent within three feet of the rim. McGee is a solid rim protector, holding a 0.6 career defensive box plus/minus.

McGee could help the Bulls in defensive areas in the paint. The Bulls allowed the 22nd most points in the paint per game last season. Paint protection was a clear struggle for them.

The roster for big men is depleted for the Bulls. With the likely loss of Markkanen and the unknown future for free agent Daniel Theis and Young, the Bulls need some help in the paint.

What to expect

Expect the dynamic duo of Karnisovas and Marc Eversley to be aggressive in free agency. With plenty of the Bulls not guaranteed to come back to the team, the front office will be aggressive with filling roster spots in free agency. The Bulls will be hunting for a point guard, wing depth, and big men in free agency.

There are clear-cut names, like Ball, Rose, and McGee. However, if there is anything Bulls fans have learned from the first year of the AKME regime, it’s that the two are extremely unpredictable.

They shocked the NBA world by pulling off a trade for Nikola Vucevic early in the morning of the trade deadline. They also stayed put at their 38th spot in the draft and took Dosunmu, a truly unexpected outcome. The bottom line is to be prepared for a wild day of free agency come Aug. 2.