3 Former Bulls Chicago Needs To Bring Back This Offseason
By Cem Yolbulan
Derrick Jones Jr.
Bulls fans have experienced plenty of frustrations over the last decade. Seeing role players who struggle in a Bulls uniform thrive elsewhere is a big part of those frustrations. Derrick Jones Jr. is a prime example of that phenomenon.
At the beginning of the 2023-24 season, the Bulls let Jones Jr. sign with the Dallas Mavericks for the minimum. Then, the 27-year-old forward proceeded to have the best season of his career, averaging a career-high in points and three-point percentage. Now, he is playing in the NBA Finals with the Mavericks.
Jones Jr. is the exact type of two-way forward every NBA team needs. Therefore, he will likely have a large market this summer. He will presumably stay in Dallas as playing next to Luka Doncic who gets him a ton of open looks every game, is an appealing option for him. However, if the Mavericks make the mistake the Bulls made last summer, Chicago should pounce on the opportunity.
Giving up a player in his prime for free is obviously less than ideal. Perhaps the Bulls can correct that mistake this offseason but this may be more of a pipe dream than a real possibility.
Bobby Portis
To be clear, Bobby Portis is not a free agent this summer. So, he is not necessarily available. However, he is entering the final year of his contract paying him $12.5 million.
The Milwaukee Bucks disappointed in a big way last season and they will likely make some moves this offseason. At the same time, they don't have too many trade assets. One of the few contracts they could use in a trade that has any value is Bobby Portis.
Portis is still in his prime at age 29. He is a much improved player since he started his career in Chicago back in 2015. He is still not a great defensive player and his fit with Nikola Vucevic is iffy but he is a talented player who could be gettable for cheap. Plus, he is a fan favorite wherever he goes, so it would be a nice boost for fans to bring him back to Chicago.
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