4 Bulls Who Won't Be Back in 2024
By Cem Yolbulan
Andre Drummond
It may sound shocking since the Bulls have a starting center that will make $20 million next season, but Andre Drummond may have been Chicago's best center last year. To be sure, Drummond is nowhere near a starting-caliber big man. He makes a lot of mistakes, has declined athletically, can't finish around the rim, and is a terrible free-throw shooter. He has limitations on both ends of the floor.
But the fact that Drummond was still better than Nikola Vucevic in 2023-24 shows you how miserable this Bulls frontcourt rotation is.
In an ideal world, Drummond would stay in Chicago as the backup center. However, the Bulls have cornered themselves and will likely not be able to afford the veteran big man in free agency this summer.
The Bulls are paying the combination of Zach LaVine, Lonzo Ball, and Nikola Vucevic $84 million for next season. Add potential new contracts to Patrick Williams and DeMar DeRozan and this team becomes incredibly expensive. It's not reasonable to expect the ownership to pay the luxury tax for a team outside playoff contention.
Therefore, Drummond will likely get squeezed out. A team will pay him more than the veteran's minimum since he played well last season and the Bulls should not beat that offer. Drummond, with his experience and off-the-bench impact, fits better on a contender anyway.